


I'll Be Home For Christmas

by Shatterpath, theillogicalthinker



Series: Pyramid [9]
Category: Reba (TV), Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: AU Angie Martinelli, Couples Talking Their Shit Out Is Hot, Domestic Fluff, F/F, Margot Kidder as Gramma Danvers for the win!, Names, Online Shopping, Praise Kink, Rare Pairings, Recliner Cuddles, Sex Toys, Sexy Times, Sleepy Cuddles, Unexpected friendships, Yep! Borrowed Angie from Agent Carter, because we can never have enough Angie, charming and inappropriate Lucy, smitten idiots, unexpected comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-05
Updated: 2017-08-06
Packaged: 2018-11-08 11:34:25
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 24
Words: 35,987
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11080737
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shatterpath/pseuds/Shatterpath, https://archiveofourown.org/users/theillogicalthinker/pseuds/theillogicalthinker
Summary: The day of the Christmas party has finally arrived! Here we have lots more fluff and shenanigans and banter. I'll be layin' it on thick, so consider yourselves warned.This whole damn story is ONE DAY. Christmas Eve, 2016!





	1. Unforeseen Comfort

**Author's Note:**

> You'll note my co-creator, theillogicalthinker. Without my companion in crime, this story never would have taken on the depth it has in this second half. So much badass banter and good ideas have grown up between us, it seemed only right to share the credit.
> 
> The rating will slowly change as we go along, I just like to string all of you along. Mwahahahaha! There will be appearances from pretty much eeeeeeeeeverybody, and even some cameos that will hopefully be a nice surprise.  
>  
> 
> This first scene had been running around in my head for some time before I sat down to actually write it. Honestly, I had no idea how, or even if, it would play out. Astonishingly, it rolled out of me in like an hour!  
> [from IMs] Shatterpath: oh, and have I mentioned that I love it when canon throws me a bone? LIKE THEY KNEW. That whole thing with Lena and her ex having been in biomedical research before she had to leave to save the family legacy? HOW CONVENIENT.  
> Also, this is one of my all-time favorite conversations between Alex and Lena.  
> And, yes, I did just completely make up the 'science' in this. Don't be too hard on me…

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Right on cue, Kara made a gagging noise from the kitchen, eliciting giggling even from a trying-to-be-unobtrusive Maggie.

[2am]

There was more than enough to work with; starting with the twisted visage of the hybrid monster that had tried so hard to kill her, playing back through twisted memories and dark imaginings. Some were faces forever seared in her memory, the boom of bullets fired too close, blood splashed, hard words raking across her heart, loves lost. Pain, incongruously real, swamped over the shattered mindscape, her voice called brokenly in the quiet of night, dangerously close to disturbing the more peaceful sleep of those around her.

But one set of ears couldn't ignore the sounds of pain and trauma, setting feet into motion to pad silently through the quiet of the earliest hours of morning.

Maggie jerked violently awake, hissing with pain as she jarred her broken leg and the half-healed zipper of torn flesh up her side. Faint light bled through the widening crack of her opening door as cop instincts screamed warning at imminent intrusion to her space. 

"It's okay," came the most unexpected of voices and Maggie froze, her heart rate slowing instinctually. For while Kara might still be standoffish, and rightly so after the havoc with Alex, she would never mean her harm. 

No matter how easy it would be.

"You're hurting," Kara commented as she leaned over Maggie, gently cupping her face in those terrifyingly strong hands to peer into night-black eyes. "When is the last time you took any pain medication?"

"Uhh… I'm okay. Just jarred that leg a bit."

The exasperated look was visible even in the dimness.

With a few quick moves, Kara picked up the couple of prescription bottles on the nightstand and immediately set one down to pop the other open and tap out a deceptively small pill. It and the nearby water bottle were handed over.

"Take it, stubborn."

There was no missing the steel in the order and Maggie meekly sat up to do as ordered. The strong hand on her back helped. That done, she handed back the water and she laid back down, figuring she was done being bossed about.

"What are you doing?"

Maggie paused in resituating her aching body onto her side, not enjoying the sharp pull of the wound in her flesh and finding the pain anchoring somehow. "That Percocet knocks me out too hard to be comfortable on my back." 

"So sleeping on your stitches is better?"

The baffled tone was almost amusing, but Maggie was getting too uncomfortable about feel so vulnerable. "Yes," she snarked defensively. "As compared to feeling like I'm suffocating or having my back to the door."

For a moment, it felt like Kara was looking right through her, and not in the x-ray vision sort of way. Then she leaned over to grab the pillow that should have been cradling Lucy's head and wasn't that the real problem? Maggie couldn't ignore that she missed her new pal, that hot buzz of energy that radiated off of her even in her sleep. Even the twins were away, learning the ropes at the alien bar Maggie missed desperately.

With gentle hands, Kara helped Maggie get settled, her own body weight making the stitches whine and then settle under the comforting pressure. The extra pillow balanced out her unbroken leg, keeping the pressure off her recently freed knee. Sighing gustily, Maggie did her best to relax, let exhaustion and the imminent arrival of the drug to her system wash away the nightmares and the loneliness. 

Then Kara did the damnest thing.

Setting her glasses on the bedside table and flicking the blankets back into warm orderliness around Maggie's small frame, she grabbed something off the floor where she had dropped it. Something that turned out to be a pillow and blanket which she curled up with… on the other side of the bed.

Not sure how she felt about the strange body at her back, Maggie was stiff and uncomfortable even as Kara's Kryptonian body heat bled through layers of blankets and sheets. But then she spoke up, soft and with an edge of defensiveness that Maggie understood absolutely.

"Because you shouldn't be alone when you're sad." 

Part of Kara would always be a bit standoffish to Maggie, because she would never forget how Alex had hurt, but she would never intentionally leave someone to suffer alone.

And Maggie got that, was comforted by that care and danger enough to give into healing sleep, Kara guarding her back through the dark morning.

\----

[8am]

Consciousness crept in like the pins and needles in Alex's left arm, making her squirm to life. She was comfortably trapped between a padded block against her spine and a warm body she knew intimately. Humming soothingly, Lena shifted to the side slightly so that Alex could lay more heavily against her, taking a bit of pressure off of that trapped arm. The heat of her soothed the broken hand nestled between full breasts, heartbeat almost felt in the damaged nerves. Bonelessly comfortable sprawled half over her girlfriend, Alex took long moments to realize that they were out in the living room in one of the recliners. Faintly embarrassed, but delighted to have Lena close, Alex nuzzled up to her chin, pressing teasing little kisses and feeling little facial muscles shift in what she knew was a smile.

"Mornin', gorgeous," she slurred as soft as the play of her lips over warm skin. In response, Lena's cradling arms grew caressing over sleep-matted hair and relaxed shoulders. 

"Hey, baby, how did you sleep?"

"With you close, I always sleep well."

"Flatterer."

"S'truth."

Tilting her head back was rewarded with a sweet good morning kiss.

"I like it when you pet my head," Alex murmured into the kiss and Lena grinned widely.

"I've noticed. It's very convenient, since I love doing it."

"You know," Kara's voice broke in from close by. "If someone had gotten her lazy butt up and gone to the nice, quiet, relatively private bed I so graciously gave up, we could all be spared the gagging noises I feel I'm obligated to make now."

"Makes me wish I wasn't a hand down, just so I could grope you and offend her little sister sensibilities," Alex deadpanned and basked in Lena's laugh. The rubbery squeak of crutches on wood floors alerted them that Maggie was with the exasperated Kara, reinforced by her soft chuckle.

Having driven her little sister off to the kitchen, Alex finally opened her eyes to wallow in Lena's green-eyed gaze, noting Maggie painstakingly lowering herself to the couch nearby. She subconsciously noticed the flat press of what was probably Lena's tablet on her shoulder.

"Whatcha doing?" The playful inquiry earned a reply she had not at all expected.

"Reading up on your mother's publications."

Blinking a little in bemusement, Alex felt the tablet lift away from her skin and watched Lena's eyes follow.

"You really do come from amazing stock. I was curious and started doing a little digging. This article on chromosomal manipulation in zero G is fascinating. Where did she even come up with the theory?"

"You'll have to tell me."

It was true, for Eliza's research and sharp mind took wildly different routes than her daughter's most times. Alex felt her heart full and warm in watching Lena's intent expression as she soaked up something new, simply because her new family was in the field.

"I didn't even know you'd find it interesting."

"Actually," Lena hedged, looking faintly embarrassed, of all the odd things. "I think I might have a lead on something else she posited. Some theories on solution mining on a microbial level. Umm, did I ever mention that I used to be in biomedical research before I had to leave it to save the family legacy?"

For a moment, Alex could only stare, before she snorted out a laugh. "How did we not know we were in similar fields? At least at one point?"

Relaxing in relief, Lena cradled her lover close. "In my defense, Tiger, we haven't had a lot of time to just talk."

"How had we never met?" Alex cackled at the sheer absurdity of it all. "I mean, really! God are we a couple of hot messes." Half sobering, she propped her chin on Lena's shoulder to gaze adoringly at her. "So what's your favorite color?"

Tracing a finger around one of those dark, sparkling eyes, Lena grinned like the smitten idiot she was. "Well, a few months ago, I would have said red. Now I've come to a real appreciation for the exact earthy shade of your eyes."

Right on cue, Kara made a gagging noise from the kitchen, eliciting giggling even from a trying-to-be-unobtrusive Maggie.

"Red's a good color on you though," Alex flirted, batting her eyelashes.

"Then it's a good thing I caught my own redhead."

"Oh come on!" Kara yelled and the giggling became flat out laughter at that.


	2. Merry Flirting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Before Kara could get too melancholy, a burst of laughter from next door washed over her sensitive hearing. She could make out their individual voices; the mother and sister who had taken her into their hearts long ago, the best friend who so easily could have been her enemy, the child who could have hated them all, even the enigmatic Maggie, who Kara was beginning to appreciate as a pal. Tomorrow, they could do as some families did, decorate on the treasured holiday itself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so Kara and Angie are JUST REALLY CUTE, OKAY?
> 
> Oh, and yes, Southern Californians really would be this dramatic about a week of rain. Trust me.

Over breakfast with her new family, a shy and excited Bug shared her new name to the thrill of all of them. It was an important step to her development as a healthy individual, to becoming her own person, away from the terrible circumstances of her creation.

Each of them had a kind word and kinder touch for the child and she made no move to skip over Maggie, who was just as gentle. It warmed the cop to see good done by a scared and abused youngster.

As much as Kara wanted to polish off whatever was left of everyone's meals, she didn't dare with Maggie there. She was fairly certain that her secret was wearing pretty thin, but wasn't going to push it. So she finally slipped away to her own apartment to add a little more heft than her normal Human portion before standing at one of her enormous windows and soak up the watery sunlight. Honestly, would the weather ever let up? It really wasn't like Southern California to be locked down by such constant rain and cloudy weather. It had been a whole week of this!

Feeling a little more fortified by food and sunlight, she dressed for the weather-- not that she felt it-- and found herself looking around her space. It didn't feel right with no more sense of it being Christmas Eve then a few random splashes of the holiday season here and there. A box of ornaments from an exchange at work, a few Christmas cards from friends and family, a cute reindeer plushy she'd picked up weeks ago. 

Things had been too crazy for too long.

Before Kara could get too melancholy, a burst of laughter from next door washed over her sensitive hearing. She could make out their individual voices; the mother and sister who had taken her into their hearts long ago, the best friend who so easily could have been her enemy, the child who could have hated them all, even the enigmatic Maggie, who Kara was beginning to appreciate as a pal. Tomorrow, they could do as some families did, decorate on the treasured holiday itself. 

Warmed by that, Kara left her space with a bounce in her step to head for the ground floor to check on preparations.

Things were busy in the pair of industrial rooms. A glance into the once-stinky half revealed that a vast curtain of heavy plastic strips had been carefully hung to separate the bathrooms from the old brewery equipment. The plastic curtain made for an excellent visual and psychological barrier that was easily passed through. There was plenty of nice, clean space behind it with sparkling new electric outlets ready and waiting for the arrival of Michael's good cooking.

The bathrooms so recently scrubbed and polished were now updated a bit and fully stocked for use. Opposite that, near the entrance to the hallway, there was a messy cluster of wardrobe racks and portable counters for a coat check. There was also a herd of trash cans full of all manner of debris, but Kara knew the crew would take those with them. There was still noisy construction and set up going on in the other room. Though, when she crossed the hall, she could see that they were nearly done. Shop vacuums wailed away to suck up scattered debris and the crew was touching up their work here and there. The raised platform had been painted a warm gray, the handrails wrapped in sisal rope, warm burgundy carpeting trimmed and tucked. The wheelchair ramp had a sturdy rubber mat and there were furniture-shaped lumps beneath moving blankets. Heavy wire had been strung in a grid about ten feet up, a jungle of unlit Christmas lights draped from them, as well as sheets of off-white cloth bellied out like sails in the wind.

And scattered throughout both rooms and the hallway between were at least a baker's dozen of compact, columnar evergreens in pots. The living presence of the plants and their lovely smell were a delight even with only a few of them dressed up in their finery of little lights and thin, sparkly garland.

Even with only the bare bones up, the space was so much more warmer, bringing up Kara's smile. From the corner of her eye, Angie spotted the blonde and echoed the smile. That caught Kara's attention and they met near the door.

"Merry almost Christmas! It looks amazing!"

"Well good morning, Kara, and a Merry almost Christmas to you too. It's coming along nicely."

"You're sure you don't mind working Christmas Eve?"

The sweet question deepened Angie's smile. "It comes with the territory. Don't worry, I have Christmas morning and afternoon with my family. The local ones anyway."

Forever curious, Kara pounced on the nugget of information. "Local ones?"

"Yep. I, like millions before me, heeded the call to 'go west, young woman.' I was born to the concrete jungle of the great city of New York, New York."

Her grand sweep of a bow coaxed a giggle out of Kara. "I'm a California girl, through and through. Speaking of which, I can feel heat taking the edge off coming from somewhere."

Instantly Angie lit up with glee and grabbed her hand, startling Kara into almost forgetting to let herself be dragged over to the raised platform. Rather than the original plan of an L-shape, the deck had been squared off to accommodate the wheelchair ramp in addition to the trio of steps. The surface thumped dully under their feet. 

"Check it out! The crew scored an industrial forced-air heater and built it into the rear corner of the deck so they could run ducting out to the edges of it. Brilliant, right? They even enclosed the unit for safety and used some lattice to not impede the air intake."

Sure enough, there was a big wooden box in the corner, easily large enough for several people to sit on. There was a definite whirr of the hidden fans and a cool breeze from the air being inhaled, but nothing that would impede music and socialization. Out at the edges of the sturdy deck, someone had cleverly enclosed the space beneath the deck with more of the wooden lattice and there were a scattering of vents bolted to the back side.

"Very clever!" Kara admired. "I'll end up just leaving all this stuff in place most likely. I like it."

"You can absolutely do that. The heater wasn't cheap, but it's not really something that rents easily."

"And I gave you free rein on budget."

Still a bit flustered over the freedom she'd been given on the project, Angie gushed on. "You did, and I figured I could set you up to use this space after the party. Those white panels on the walls are radiant heaters and-- oh I almost forgot!-- I have a couple of electric fireplaces for warmth and ambience. They look like woodburning stoves. Come see!"

Caught up in her enthusiasm, Kara willingly allowed herself to dragged over to some large boxes to help with the unpacking.

Utterly amused and enraptured by the sweet tableau of Kara and Angie tearing into the boxes like little kids, Lena nearly jumped clean out of her skin when a strong arm wrapped around her waist and familiar nuzzling warmed her neck. The jolt of fear instantly melted away to adoration.

"Are you spying?"

Alex's droll question was a heavy tease, just like her exploring mouth.

"Well you did say that I had to work on my nosy best friend skills."

"No, I said you could work on perfecting your nosy best friend skills."

"Oh, technicalities now? Careful there, Agent Danvers, I'm all about the details."

"Thought you studied business, not law."

"I can multitask."

Turning in Alex's embrace, Lena draped her arms around her neck and stole a kiss that Alex briefly pretended to be aloof from. The girlish pout melted her like an ice cube in a nuclear reactor. As happened so often, they were lost in each other, only coming back to their public setting when a startled construction worker nearly ran them down and their giggling gave their spying away to Kara.


	3. Delightfully Oblivious

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Angie was caught off guard, she could admit that to herself. But she had just met Lena frickin' Luthor and seen a little kid with a fox tail, heard the construction crew talk about a pair of furry women also with tails that had come through just yesterday.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A couple creative notes for chuckles:  
> theillogicalthinker: AHAHAHAHAHAGAGAGAGAAAAA Oh god  
> Shatterpath: even Alex is oblivious at that point. Lena doesn't even get jealous, she just facepalms  
> theillogicalthinker: Recurring theme of everyone hitting on Alex when they meet her

Delighted to see her sister and best friend, Kara eagerly waved them over, flicking away little bits of clingy Styrofoam from her clothes.

"Hey, Angie, this is my sister Alex and her girlfr-- hey! Look out!"

Barely able to restrain her reflexes to something approaching normal, Kara reached out to yank Alex into her, nearly upsetting Lena as well. The oblivious construction worker that had almost brained Alex with a very long two by six board was immediately accosted by another fellow dressed for the work, both of them firing sheepish looks at the little knot of women.

Understandably they crept back to work under the withering glares of the Danvers sisters and their companions.

Impressed by the whole display, Angie couldn't help but join Lena in grinning as the sisters caught each other's eye and dissolved into childish giggling.

"Sister, hmm? You come from good genes," Angie commented/flirted and caught Kara's attention effortlessly. Shaking her head, the blonde immediately shrugged the compliment off.

"Oh no, I'm adopted."

Intrigued by the pair of beauties, Angie's smile deepened further towards 'flirt'. "Excellent luck then."

For a moment, Lena felt a growl of jealousy rage to life in her guts, but paused. They really had no damn clue, did they? It was both ridiculously endearing and made her want to facepalm. 

It became even funnier when the two of them, like puppies or toddlers, became entranced at the draping fairy lights suddenly blazing to life. Not even excusing themselves, the sisters wandered off to ooo and ahh at the spectacle.

Angie sighed, "why me?" and Lena scoffed a soft, sympathetic laugh. 

Waving away the embarrassed look from the new girl, Lena had to tease, "well, the brunette is mine but Kara is fair game."

"If she could take a hint," Angie played along, her voice caught between mournful and amused.

"Ah yes. Quite the dilemma. Hints are not a big thing with those two." Another dramatic sigh from Angie nearly dissolved Lena into laughter. "And if she doesn't take it, she's the best friend you could ever make."

Used to interacting with strangers, it was only then that Angie really realized that she had no idea who this woman was. She seemed familiar somehow, but there was no placing her. Dressed in a chunky sweater and bomber jacket and faded jeans with her hair loose and wild and curly, she looked like a casually fashionable college student.

"You know, I never did get your name."

A slow, delighted smile spread over Lena's face, a natural reaction to blessed anonymity. Still, she could hardly be duplicitous with this nice young woman. She was working hard for this last minute party as well as being very kind to Kara. Their handshake was open and firm, Angie's curiosity and strong personality translating clearly through her grip.

"Lena Luthor." Before Angie could do more than widen her eyes, Lena held up a hand. "And I'm perfectly delighted to be just Alex's girlfriend and one of many at this get-together. I'm very new to the family and very much enjoying this whole process. Honestly, don't change anything because of me, it's all wonderful so far."

Now, Angie Martinelli was nothing if not adaptable; quick on her feet in all senses of the word. If the lady wanted anonymity, then Angie would flow like water to accommodate. Her smile reappeared, warmer than before, and she gave Lena's hand a last squeeze before letting go.

"Pleased to meet you, Lena, and I love the jacket. I'm only just starting to thaw out myself. I figured I better find a way to warm this space up or I'll never get assigned such a fun gig again."

Charmed by the younger woman, Lena chuckled. Abruptly, Bug burst into the room, nearly on all fours in her haste. As she had quickly learned to do, Lena braced herself for the hit, half swinging her little pal around like a pirouette to bleed off some of the momentum.

She was shaking like a leaf and clung with significant strength for her small size. Instantly, the sisters rushed over to join the huddle, petting Bug and Lena both while Angie watched.

Abruptly, the wail of shopvacs stopped and the crew scattered to finish up.

"It was too loud," Bug whispered as she clung tightly and watched all the strangers and activity around her with wide eyes.

"You need to be careful where you wander, Bug-- I mean, Matilda," Alex admonished gently.

With a rattle-crash, the big rolling door on the wall opposite the entryway from the hall yawned open to let the wet, cold day sweep in. Tools and trash were gathered in a flurry of activity to be hauled out to the trio of vehicles clogging the alley.

"I'll take her upstairs," Lena offered and smiled when Alex kissed both her girl's dark heads and watched them go.

"She's really good at that," Kara mused and Alex could only nod in complete agreement. In just a few minutes, the bulk of the crew were gone, only one fellow lingering to speak with Angie a bit. Then, with a rattle and a muted crash, the door was closed once more, leaving behind a ringing quiet and dust motes churning in the electric light.

Angie clapping her hands slightly startled both sisters and they turned to pay attention when she started speaking. "Now it's just a few hours of getting the details set up and I can be out of your hair."

Instantly, Kara's face fell. "You mean you're not staying?"

Taken aback, Angie didn't respond for a moment, giving Alex a chance to add in her two cents. "You should stay. I mean, unless you have somewhere to be, of course."

"It's the least we can do since you put everything together," Kara added, both of them looking sweet and hopeful. "Really, I genuinely appreciate you putting this together because this is probably the most rushed Christmas we've ever had."

"You certainly picked that up from Dad," Alex teased, the ache in her voice from missing him a thrum beneath the happiness. "Normally you'd be all over this Christmas stuff weeks ago."

"It's been crazy," Kara agreed, laying a gentle hand half on Alex's cast and half on her warm forearm. The smile they shared was sweet and adoring, making Angie smile softly and miss her own siblings in that moment.

Really, they were just too charming.

Abruptly Kara got a weird look on her face, clearly bothered and oddly hopeful about something. 

"Oh, I can't believe I forgot, but some of our friends are aliens and Metahumans," pausing, she swallowed down her nerves, her face a riot of emotions. Alex was caught between that and wanting to facepalm. "Is that okay?"

Angie was caught off guard, she could admit that to herself. But she had just met Lena frickin' Luthor and seen a little kid with a fox tail, heard the construction crew talk about a pair of furry women also with tails that had come through just yesterday. 

Hey, this was National City, right? And Angie prided herself on being adaptable, no matter the chaos wreaked by those not of this Earth.

"I think that if a person is good and decent, it shouldn't matter what they look like."

Both sisters caught the faintly uncomfortable edge in Angie's voice, filed it away out of protective habit. Kara almost jumped at the familiar touch of her sister, soothed by the smile that had calmed her and made her feel loved a million times over since she had lost everything.

"I think that's a great attitude."


	4. Moving Forward

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While that teasing touch over belly might be more Lena's particular kink, Alex was by no means immune to it. Her skin felt hot and jumpy, the caress lingering like embers. While part of her felt a bit badly for ditching out on her family…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really loved the themes of moving forward on this one, Maggie and Bug in particular make huge emotional strides.

[Afternoon]

By the time afternoon rolled around, it was clear that boredom was setting in. Even the ranting at the zombies was getting apathetic.

The close quarters were wearing at everyone's nerves.

Winn had done his best to leave them proper entertainment before happily escaping for a half-shift at the DEO. The new toys were plastic sci-fi looking guns full of electronics so that Alex and Maggie could shoot at various digital monsters. The horror movie nature of the entertainment had driven Kara back to the party preparation after she'd grabbed a meal. As Susan had already gone off to her room for some quiet time with Kyra, that left Alex, Lena and Maggie to share a commiserating look over the sweet little crush little sister had and snicker. 

The daily visit from the DEO medico was almost welcome. There was only one of them today, a hard-eyed woman in the familiar blacks that stared down a slightly surly Alex. 

"I could threaten you with restraints, but I'd rather not feed Lane's filthy mind," the medico drawled wryly, setting off Lena and Maggie.

"Traitors," Alex groused, but gentled when Lena kissed her on the cheek and shooed her off.

"Behave, Tiger and maybe you'll get a lollypop."

The tease made Alex blush and submit meekly, the medico raising an impressed brow before herding her off to the nearest open bedroom. That left Lena and Maggie alone for the first time.

"I noticed yesterday that you're sporting fiberglass too," Lena said with forced casualness, determined to be friendly. Maggie, while just as unsure of how to interact, was also just as determined not to be an asshole.

"I'm thrilled with it, to be honest. That plaster monstrosity was heavy and a pain in the rear to maneuver around. Thanks to the healing doohickey-- and thank you again, FBI--" her wry emphasis on the incorrect acronym made Lena huff in small amusement, "my doc is baffled as hell, but I'm healing ridiculously fast. So I get a short cast and my knee back, but still no walking just yet."

"I'm glad they were able to help everyone out. You don't suppose they'd let me get my hands on it, do you?"

The wistful question amused Maggie. "Maybe, but then they'd have to kill you."

For a moment, Maggie worried that her cop-dark joke had gone too far, or worse, she was going to have to explain her lame stab at humor. Then Lena dissolved into a surprisingly girlish giggle-fit that was impossibly endearing. Maggie could see it, the sweet spirit hidden behind that dreaded name that had so completely won Alex's attention and affections. 

It earned an honesty that Maggie couldn't hold back.

"Thanks for being so nice."

That clearly baffled Lena. "Shouldn't I be?"

"No, I just mean that I you're being very cool about my being underfoot and because of all this… weirdness with Alex."

There was a real empathy in their awkwardness. Pondering emotional waters she was still learning to navigate, Lena looked like a nervous four year old. "I trust her, and I like you. And I started out before all of… this, with a crush on Kara, and Al let it go and so did I. Just because you two were almost a thing doesn't change how I feel. Did any of that make sense?"

Completely impressed and warmed, Maggie smiled with sincere warmth. "Yeah. Actually, it did."

When Alex wandered out to tag team off with Maggie, she seemed distracted, brows pinched irritably. That vanished in an instant when Lena trailed teasing fingertips over the enticing strip of bellymeat left out from a shirt not pulled down after being rucked up, sweatpants low around her hips. The noise she made was sexy and embarrassing, but for the first time, Maggie only felt amusement. As she hauled herself over to the medico to be looked at, she heard Alex growl something playful and Lena's attractive giggle and allowed herself to feel truly good for them.

Let it go indeed.

\----

While that teasing touch over belly might be more Lena's particular kink, Alex was by no means immune to it. Her skin felt hot and jumpy, the caress lingering like embers. While part of her felt a bit badly for ditching out on her family…

More of her wanted to chase the tease in those sexy green eyes. 

After a big group lunch, it was decided that heading home for a handful of hours to nap, chill and get ready was in everyone's best interests. Though Maggie did agree to stay put to get the extra help she still really needed. Besides, her matchbox apartment would be unbearable without the gang around her. And when the hell had that happened?

Bug was willing to stay and take over Kara's loft for more movies, though she made Alex promise that they would make some time to all watch her new favorite together.

"Of course we will, Matilda," Alex tried out the new name while she stroked head and neck, Bug wrapped around her legs tightly. "Though I'll always have a soft spot for your cute little Bug name."

"I still like Bug too."

"And there must be a cute short version of Matilda," Lena added sagely where she cuddled up against Alex's lamed arm. "After all, I call you Al, and you call me Lee."

"This is true. And Alex is short for Alexandra."

Bug's eyes grew round with wonder. "So I could have lots of names too?"

"Of course, sweetie."

"But Kara doesn't have any extra ones."

Smiling indulgently at the curious wonder of this miraculous child and for the otherworldly sister she adored so, Alex took a moment to find the right words. "In a way, she does. When Kara became my sister, she gave up her first family name, well traded it really, and became a Danvers."

"I want to be a Danvers," Bug mumbled so softly it could barely be heard where she pressed her face into Alex's belly.

"Yeah, I want you to be a Danvers too, Matilda." Prying away strong little arms enough to kneel for a proper hug, Alex spoke softly. "Tell you what. Tomorrow, when things are quieter, you and me and Lena and Kara and my mom will sit and talk all this out, okay? Because they love you too. And I have to go into my work and get my arm checked anyway, so we can get all the boring parts of making you a Danvers started. Does that work?"

The neck-cracking hug was answer enough.

Eliza was fine with the couple borrowing her rental car and Lena teased that she hadn't driven in so long that it might take them forever to get there and back again. Because of that, Alex kept her hands to herself, relaxing back in her seat and just feeling the movement and sound around her.

"Do you ever regret coming to National City?"

That made Alex open her eyes and look over at her girlfriend. Her expression was calm and thoughtful, the melancholy that so often plagued her heavy at the corners of her eyes and mouth.

"No. I loved Midvale, don't get me wrong, but it would have never been enough to contain me."

"Bigger and better, huh?" Lena teased and her smile made a reappearance. When the car stopped at a red light, Alex leaned over to coax Lena to turn her head and be kissed lingeringly.

"The best."

With much flirting and meandering conversation, they passed the crowded miles pleasantly enough, though were both more than ready to be done by the time they reached their destination. Even with it being Christmas Eve and a residential area, they managed to find a parking spot right on the street. Though Alex had to hop out into the rain to help guide the car and Lena was flustered by the time they managed to get the vehicle settled safely.

"I'm not good at that," she groused and Alex laughed and gave her a swift kiss, right there on the wet sidewalk.

"You can't be good at everything, babe."


	5. Needs and Wants

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Now, Lena Luthor was never one to back down from a challenge and her expression said as much. That sweetly contrite expression on Alex's pretty face might have flown if not for the pure mischief dancing in her eyes and the smile she couldn't quite fight down.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so special note on this chapter's pic. While poking about Google Images, I stumbled across this one and loved it immediately for its sweet and sexy! Then… I took a closer look at it. Now, it's not just me, right? Lady on the right bears more than a passing resemblance to Alex? Even the color of the lipstick works? Then I realized the lady on the left could also pass for Lena? And she's even in red?
> 
> It was destiny for sure.
> 
> Also, I confess that I really struggled with this chapter, because I SWEAR it gets harder and harder as time goes by to write smut! Honestly, you'd think the Muses would be eager for it, right? It turned out that Alex's body soreness was holding us all back and I finally figured out a way around that. About two days ago… 
> 
> So without further ado, enjoy yourselves!

"These elevators stink. Stupid rain."

Lena snickered at Alex's comment as the door whirred shut and the cab hummed upward. She was perfectly happy to be the backrest, her arms looped around that lean, curvy frame, her hands tickling at the hem of the delightfully too-short shirt. And damned if Alex didn't stiffen and then melt back against her with a soft sound that was more moan than sigh.

The hypnotic brush of fingers on Alex's tense belly lasted until the elevator dinged. Then Lena snatched her hands back and shouldered her distracted Tiger out while she dragged the wheeled suitcase with her. Both of them giggled at the sour-faced granny glowering at them, Lena carefully hiding her face against Alex's shoulder as they made a break for it.

Somehow, they didn't trip one another up and Alex fumbled at her door's lock before they spilled into the apartment.

"You're embarrassing me in front of my neighbors," Alex chuckled fondly and her eyes widened when Lena shoved her roughly against the door and the deadbolt snicked home.

"And?" Lena hummed sexily, her eyes pale and mischievous and so, so hot with desire. Really, Alex would never get used to be looked at like that, to wanting to be looked at like that. It was intoxicating, better than any drug or strong drink. "I find you completely irresistible. No stuffy neighbor will put out that fire, gorgeous."

With Alex braced against the door, Lena dropped to her knees to lick and kiss at the strip of belly that had been teasing her all day.

"Do you remember in Hawaii when I had you like this in that glorious shower?"

"God, Lee… how could I forget?"

Nuzzling lower over the soft cotton, Lena tugged at the sweatpants to expose that lovely abdomen to her attentions. Alex breathed hard, eyes wide as she watched the sexy display. Open mouthed kisses over the twitching muscles and that hidden tongue swirling made Alex keen softly behind her teeth and smooth her hand over dark hair. Sucking hard at a silky patch of skin clenched that gentle hand into a hard fist and Lena relished the burn on her scalp. Her little moan of appreciation made Alex sob something desperate that became a hiss of pain.

Heat forgotten in the wake of concern, Lena anchored herself on strong hipbones to haul herself upwards. "What's wrong, Al?"

"Just a muscle twinge, I'm fine," Alex grumbled, her eyes blown black with need. "Dammit, and I was really enjoying that, too."

Lena's kiss was comfort and sexiness, the nip of her teeth at Alex's lip a promise.

"Well, in that case. When these fade," she purred as she palmed dusky bruises that still splashed like paint over Alex's torso. "I will take great pleasure in fucking you raw against this door." Suddenly all cheerful smiles, she whirled and walked off, dragging Alex behind her with a grip on her elastic waistband. "In the meantime, there is a decadent bed I do love to see you decorating."

It didn't take Lena long to strip her girl and settle in to see how much she could make those high-pitched noises fill the small bedroom. Besides, it had been too long since she'd gotten her hair pulled.

Sweating and wrecked, Alex slowly came back to her senses to take in the satiation of her body, but also the aches and pains. Her groan was a mixed bag of sensations and Lena picked up on that as she kissed her way up the flexing terrain of Alex's body as she caught her breath. On the way, she gathered up the casted hand that had thunked into her skull some minutes ago. Sitting up across Alex's hips, she looked admonishingly at her lover, the cast cradled in her hands.

"Now, didn't we have standing orders to keep this hand relaxed and uninvolved, Agent Tiger?"

Alex rolled her eyes. "Yes ma'am." A playful glint made the dark eyes sparkle and turned up the corners of her mouth. "I've always had a bit of a problem with authority."

Now, Lena Luthor was never one to back down from a challenge and her expression said as much. That sweetly contrite expression on Alex's pretty face might have flown if not for the pure mischief dancing in her eyes and the smile she couldn't quite fight down.

"Are you sassing me?"

That deep, flat tone had probably struck terror in many, but Alex just found it hot as hell. She relished the rush of pleasure flooding her, no matter that she was still panting from a delicious orgasm. "Oh yes ma'am."

That eager, breathless tone wreaked havoc with Lena's self-control, but she did her best to stare Alex down, enthralled by her squirming. After long moment, Alex's expression softened, went open and dark and needy, throat clenching in a hard swallow.

"How can I make it up to you?"

Lena thrilled at the surrender, the giving up of control, even as a dark little corner of her was a bit alarming to the larger part that was good and respectful.

"Oh, my good girl, I do love you like this, open and wanting. Whatever shall I do with you?"

"I can be good," Alex whispered, her expression raw need and a little terror mixed together. Suddenly, there was a game afoot and Lena quickly began adapting. Looming over Alex, Lena set the casted hand gently to the side, found the open one, laced their fingers together, pressed her weight down. Careful not to spill her hair into Alex's face, Lena hovered over her, her expression both serious and teasing.

"Can you?" There was no censure in the question, just gentle demand. "If I asked you… told you to be still, could you do that for me?"

"Yes. Please Lena…" Alex sounded drunk, she felt drunk, brain and blood flooded in endorphins and chemical cocktails, wrapped up in this woman she had fallen for so completely.

"I know you can," Lena praised quietly, their lips brushing. "So, how shall I have you?" 

No matter their eagerness, there were physical considerations to keep in mind, as Alex was clearly feeling stiff and sore. Even if she wouldn't admit it. So how to play this?

"I like you like this, laid out and at my mercy," Lena leered and flexed her core muscles to rock her hips along Alex's abdominals. "Think I could get myself off like this? Feeling your lovely body against mine, watching your expression?"

"You need something," Alex noted with the intuitiveness of knowing her lover's body well. The flash of frustrated self-doubt that shadowed Lena's expression was something neither of them had missed. "Talk to me?"

For a long moment, Lena debated with herself, relieved when Alex's gripped down on her entrapping hand to keep her from pulling away. "I'm… I'm just anxious, and horny, and I hate that my wanting a rough ride right now might make you feel inadequate."

Ducking down, Lena pressed her forehead to Alex's chin, soaked up the feel of her warm skin against her bareness. 

"Would you touch yourself?" Alex asked quietly, her voice almost shy, that thread of submissive need still there. "I want you to feel good, love. And, if you want my mouth, I'm right here, not going anywhere."

Stifling down an entirely inappropriate urge to giggle in wonder, Lena nodded. "There are days I swear you aren't real, Tiger. You are so amazing."

Sure enough, when she raised her head, Alex was flushed pink with lust and sweet embarrassment. And, with jangling hormones, whatever sense of propriety Lena might have been flustered about went out the window. Rapping her knuckles against the fiberglass, she nipped at the point of Alex's chin. "Don't move that. That's an order, Agent."

"Yes ma'am."

For all the formality of the words, Alex's eyes were bright and hot as she watched her lover's face, felt the brush of knuckles down her belly, soaked up how the green eyes fluttered when that wandering hand reached its target.

"That's it," she coaxed quietly, encouragingly, and Lena moaned softly in response. "Take what you need, love."

The ridge of knuckles pressed hard into Alex's abdominals, skittering at silky skin and firm muscle with the rock of Lena's hips. The 'whuff' of hot air over Alex's throat matched the heat of the overheated, excited body of her lover. Nosing at Lena got her to raise her head enough that Alex could mouth tenderly over her face, her intent only loving and not to distract. Not that it seemed to have any effect on the urgency of hand and hips, the harsh wind of her breath.

"You are so beautiful, especially like this, so needy and free. Come on now, you're close, I can feel it."

Whining a soft, vulnerable, "Al," Lena felt the hot urgency of her need spike, her breath gone raspy and animalistic as she wallowed in the sweet relief. Slowly collapsing into Alex's welcoming body, Lena nestled in, releasing her trapped hand and relishing the immediate embrace.

"Some time in the next twenty-four to forty-eight odd hours, we won't be doing any of that for a few days," Lena murmured wearily into the riot of darkly red hair she had buried her face in.

"Ah," Alex said with real sympathy. "Those hormones. Got it. Bet I'm not far off either then. That's a drama I honestly hadn't thought of when I came out." They chuckled together. "Feeling better for getting the edge off?"

"Much. Can I just fall asleep right here?"

"Yes. I'd like that."

"Mmmmm… love you."

Utterly warmed in body and soul, Alex embraced her sleepy lover and toed the bedding closer to toss it lazily over their sprawl. Kissing Lena's temple, she willingly relaxed into the pull of sleep.

"Love you too."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, yeah. A little Agent Praisekink slipped in here! Not to mention a little nod to the monthly hormones most of us understand aaaallll too well, eh ladies?


	6. Surprising Fun

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And there they were, in all their Technicolor glory. Alex almost choked on the coffee and had to set it down.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love them so much as playful and yet somehow able to tackle serious stuff. It's one of their best strengths

Yawning and overwarm from her nap, Alex stretched and pouted when her reaching arm came up with a bed empty save herself. Her bathroom sink ran, earning a smile and getting her out of the covers to shiver a bit in the open air.

Lena blinked, tousle-haired and gorgeous grinning a bit self-consciously around her toothbrush and the wisps of foam that had collected there. She looked adorable and utterly normal in the old USC sweatshirt she'd grabbed earlier and a pair of lacy underwear snug around her ass and hips. Alex wanted a lifetime of moments like it, stepping in close to hug her lover around the ribs and nuzzle into the back of her neck. Lena made a funny noise before going back to scrubbing her teeth and spitting into the sink before rinsing. Only then did she turn to return the hug, snuggling in.

"Love you," she whispered, testing out the still foreign-feeling words and squeaking breathlessly at Alex's hard hug, mouth open and familiar on her neck.

"Love you too," Alex murmured back just as softly, her words a thrum against Lena's skin. Despite the sweet endearments, Lena stopped a mouth kiss with a raised finger against Alex's lips. The beseeching Puss-In-Boots eyes were damn hard to resist though.

And reminded her with a little jolt that she'd forgotten to swing by her condo and pick up her internet purchases. Dammit.

"Teeth first, baby. I'll go raid the kitchen for coffee."

"Fine," Alex mock-huffed and was rewarded with a quick, closed-mouth kiss.

With a cleaner mouth and senses woken up by the scent of peppermint, Alex grabbed a t-shirt and robe, not bothering with the hassle of getting her lower half covered up with a broken hand. The aroma of percolating coffee was just drifting through the larger space as she wandered out, grinning at Lena swaying to some silent tune in her kitchen.

The giggle she earned with an ambush hug and a little gentle monstering at that irresistible neck was the sweetest music to Alex's ears.

"I could get used to this domestic stuff."

"Me too," Lena murmured and rubbed her nose into Alex's wild hair. Ignoring the little jolt of pain as both hands came to rest on the counter, Alex took a greater interest in the smooth skin available to her, relishing the little stutter of breath, the way Lena reached up to bury her hand in the darkly red hair. No matter that they had passed part of their afternoon in carnal pursuits, Alex was hot and bothered for her all over again.

Not that Lena was complaining, her body immediately flushed and wanting from the loving attention paid to her sensitive neck, the powerful body tight against her back and ass. 

"I'm starting to see the appeal of having my hands free," Alex purred and groaned at Lena pressing back into the cradle of her hips.

"Yeah?"

"Oh yeah."

Abruptly, Lena squirmed and Alex obligingly let her turn and drape both arms around her neck. While the green eyes were playful, there was a bit of seriousness too. "Still, I feel like you have a few reservations. Talk to me?"

There was a real plea there, a desperate need for open communication that Alex knew she had to be honest with. There was more than enough baggage for an ugly emotional explosion should they fail in being open with one another.

"Okay, that's fair. Part of it is the newness, and partly being uncomfortable with anything that looks like boy bits, I admit it."

Lena nodded thoughtfully. "And I'll add to the negotiations to assure you again, this is not about me missing having a male in my life."

Alex nodded, taking the reiteration of the reassurance to heart. "Accepted. Maybe if the toy didn't look like a dick?"

The look of relief, tinged with sweet amusement wasn't exactly what Alex had expected. "Oh, sweetie, that's easy. There are endless strapons that don't look anything like anatomically correct."

Alex scoffed. "Endless. How much variety can there possibly be?"

"Trust me, it could take weeks to go through them all."

The skepticism got Lena's competitive streak fired up and she became instantly the very picture of coquettish tease. Watching those dark eyes go darker never, ever got old. Alex tried to play at being nonchalant, shrugging and affecting an utterly fake uncaring tone. "Well, I suppose we've got a little time to kill… so maybe something playful and, I dunno, colorful?"

"Challenge accepted, Tiger." Abruptly grabbing Alex by the shoulders to turn her, Lena swatted her on the rear. "Go make yourself comfy and I'll bring the coffee and laptop."

Grumbling playfully, Alex did as ordered, ditching her robe and twitching the covers into some semblance of order before settling in. As enticing as Lena was, the large mug of coffee was at least as welcome, as was the wry look at the grabby hands.

"Share, you."

Kissing away the mock pout, Lena climbed into the bed to snuggle into Alex's side, ignoring the grumbling about almost sloshing the coffee. They shared the steamy brew and sweet kisses while the computer hummed to life and Lena poked through her bookmarks until she found what she was after.

And there they were, in all their Technicolor glory. Alex almost choked on the coffee and had to set it down.

The hilarious expression on her face tested Lena's self-control. "You--" she could barely fight down her laughter and had to pause a moment. "You did say playful and not anatomically correct."

The dry look Alex gave her could have turned the Amazon basin to a desert. Then a mischievous spark shaded brown eyes almost cinnamon and Alex burst to melodramatic life. "These are anatomically correct!" she fake-raged, flailing her good arm for dramatic counterpoint. "If you're a dinosaur… or a demon… and that one there? I seriously do not want to know. Yikes…"

In whimsical shapes and psychedelic colors, the dildos were a rainbow of crazy fun. Most of them were distinctly of the male shape, but certainly nothing Human. Two of them were assumedly equine of some sort due to their names-- and Alex really, really didn't want to know-- one looked like a colorful egg on a gold stand and there was even a tentacle. A freakin' tentacle…

Her mock glare threatened to crack her lover's determined stand against the laughter clearly crowding her throat. "Lena Luthor, I think you just trolled me."

Somehow Lena managed to stifle down her amusement again, pressing a hand over her mouth to help. Alex took the challenge on, craving her lover's laughter.

"It's like what you'd expect a porn filmed for 'Face Off'(1) to look like. Today's episode theme is… horses and demons!"

Lena was close to losing it, her eyes bright.

"Or maybe the missing scenes at the Star Wars cantina? Diiiiiiiicks iiiiiiiiin spaaaaaaaace!"

The warbling sing-song finally cracked Lena like someone dropping a raw egg off of a building and she dissolved into a storm of mirth.

 

(1)= 'Face Off' is a television show where contestants create elaborate makeup jobs with sci-fi/fantasy themes for a panel of judges. There are lots of prosthetics and costumes involved. Sorta like 'Chopped' for makeup artists.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: The photo for next chapter, while hilarious, will NOT BE SAFE FOR WORK OR SMALL, CURIOUS CHILDREN. Or asshole friends like Lucy. Not so much filthy as something you might not want to have to explain to just anyone. The current subject matter should be a good clue. -chuckle-  
> You have been warned. 
> 
> Also, because I know a bunch of y'all are curious as hell now, here's the splash page that almost made Alex choke (and YES, the above warning applies here too!): http://bad-dragon.com/products  
> You're welcome!


	7. Bad Dragon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The deadpan caught Alex completely off guard and Lena kept her composure until Alex half-yelled her name in amused consternation. When had she ever laughed so much?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter always makes me smile, because of the image of Alex completely losing her shit over the Teeny Weenies. My goal now is to one day get a pack of them to sit on my desk with the couple of toys that keep me company (a cute purple monster, a Fabulous Hudson Hornet & Filmore from Cars, and an little Anna figure from Frozen) and forever remind me of this fun epic and this rarepair I fell in love with.

Alex made no effort to stop her own amusement, the released energy carrying away the last of the weirdness of the whole situation away with it. What did she have to be weird about? She had fallen for this amazing, smart, hot woman who was shopping for sex toys with her. Pretty soon she would get to try even more new and wonderful things with her and it made Alex smile like an idiot and get hotter under the collar.

Lena yelped in mock outrage as Alex twisted and lunged as best she could with her lamed arm to monster at her neck. Unbalanced, they collapsed into an ungainly heap, the laptop falling to its side to slam shut. Under Alex's greater weight, Lena was once again paralyzed with laughter, trapped slightly uncomfortably on her side, Alex half-heartedly trying to get her limbs sorted out. Understandably, she didn't fight the grab at her collar and that sweet, smiling kiss.

This was the best part of them, the adoration and attraction that somehow made them work. Open-mouthed kisses and soft, loving sounds were all they paid attention to for some time.

"Feeling better about this shopping trip now?" Lena murmured low and throaty into Alex's wet mouth and she made a rough, needy sound.

"Yes. But a lot of those… things are still silly."

That unfettered giggle would forever warm her soul, Lena's joy carried so clearly across an ocean of pains that Alex had somehow learned to bridge. 

"They absolutely are. But some of them are fun and I want that." With completely faked seriousness, she ticked off points on her fingers. "So you seem mediocre about the animals, obviously the aliens would be weird, but a solid maybe on the demon? What about one of the dinosaurs?"

Growling, Alex braced most of her torso's weight against Lena's shoulder and the bum arm. With her left hand, she went in the for kill, tickling at soft spots and soaking up the girlish squealing, no matter that it was near her ear. With much squirming and carrying on, Lena managed to get on her back, Alex's left arm pinned under her shoulder to stop the tickling. Wrapping her legs around the body over her, she teased her fingers into Alex's hair and pressed sweet kisses all over her face.

"I suppose as long as I don't have to do any role-playing to match the equipment," Alex teased and soaked up Lena's laugh. "The real world animals, yeah no. And there is at least one toy in there that looks enough like it belonged to something I had a gun trained on once to be more than a little disturbing."

"We can go to a different website."

"Hell no. You opened this can of worms, babe!"

"Worms," Lena sniggered and ignored the swat to her shoulder as Alex managed to sit up without jarring her arm again. Sorting themselves out, they opened the laptop and let it remember what it had been doing before being so rudely thrust aside. The wild collection of dildos was still there, and more that Alex hadn't gotten to by scrolling down.

"Man, these things are just wild. Hey, you're the one that has to… fit them, so to speak. So, what'll work for you?"

While Lena had taken Alex to the website with the intent of loosening her up with a bit of humor, she should have known that Alex's only real shock value about the whole thing was simply the novelty. Her ability to adapt was always a marvel, even in the short time they had known one another.

"Well, I certainly won't pass up a chance to boss you around."

Alex only snorted.

"So not the demon?"

"Hey, you're the one that would have to live with the knobby things down the sides."

"Point."

"Though I'm greatly amused that the demon dick is listed as the red and black being 'natural'. Very clever."

Foregoing anything too oddly shaped-- after all this shopping trip was supposed to fun, not painful-- Lena clicked on something sort of innocuously shaped that was very clearly a dick, just nothing of this earth. 

"Dragons," Alex scoffed, but was grinning. "You sure you want something so lavender and pink and girlie colored?"

"You can chose the colors. See?"

A click had a page of colors and patterns that Alex trailed her finger over. "That print looks like camouflage."

"Well, then you can use it in the bush."

The deadpan caught Alex completely off guard and Lena kept her composure until Alex half-yelled her name in amused consternation. When had she ever laughed so much?

Once calm again, Lena dragged Alex into a hard kiss with a fistful of hair and enjoyed the bamboozled look her bossiness often earned. 

"I like it. And the camouflage is fun, let's go for it."

"Sure, you got it." Shaking her distraction off, Alex managed to get her attention back to the screen. "Oh, there's a size thing too."

"I do like a little bit of heft," Lena mused and then took a close look at some of the measurements of the various sizes the dildos could be cast in and her eyes widened. "A little bit! Good lord…"

"Yeah, that last one shouldn't be extra large, it should be 'what the fuck'?"

There was a newer model that only came in a small anyway that had a little tongue of a clit teaser that Lena whimsically clicked on, choosing the option for the company to surprise her with the color.

"Dragons," Alex snorted again and Lena grinned at her.

"We should get a dinosaur, for the hell of it."

"Would that be overkill?"

"Al, I'm a Luthor. Overkill is my default setting."

And Alex laughed.

It made Lena love her all the more, her ease of acceptance to the darkness that would forever shade her adopted name.

"Overkill it is. A dinosaur dick. What is my life?" There was no recrimination in the statement, just a wry humor that Lena loved. Moving the pointer, Alex clicked on one. "That one looks like a slightly curled finger. I can live with that. But seriously, not in this green. My boss is green and that's just a serious mood killer."

Snickering, Lena scrolled down and tapped at a section labeled 'adoptables'. "There you go, cast and waiting for a nice home."

With a few taps, Alex had added the pearly-white adoptable to their little collection and went back to the main screen. "You know, I don't think I ever allowed myself to really note that dicks are just ridiculous looking. No matter the, uh, species."

Again, Lena dissolved into hysterics.

Skimming past the penetratable toys with raised brows, they ended up at a collection of shaped vibes. Just for laughs, Lena tossed in a vibe shaped like a dragon tongue that got her a snort of amusement. The merchandise at the bottom of the page was fun too.

"Is it wrong that I want to get that plushie and give it to Kara because she'd have no clue?"

Swatting at her, Lena clicked on the t-shirts and bought one with a lewdly grinning black and red dragon's head. Alex just gave her a smirk.

"There, have we gone sufficiently over the top now?"

"Wait!" Alex suddenly yelled and reached over to tap at something. "What the hell are those?"

When the link opened to the page of 'Teenie Weenies'-- replicas of the wild variety of phalluses on the site, done in perfect, colorful miniature-- Alex completely lost it. Squirming and howling like a dog with fleas on the bed, she laughed until she had tears running down her temples. Lena basked in the outrageous display, completely enamored with her love's delight. Finally, gasping and winded, she calmed enough to sit back up and rub away the wet tracks and catch her breath.

"Seriously, I need about a thousand of those to torment Lucy with. Tiny little fantasy dicks!" For a moment she could only wave impotently at the screen and giggle until she was even redder in the face. "Leave the little fuckers everywhere!"

While part of Lena wanted to warn Alex that she was going to give herself a belly ache or hiccups or something, it was just too delightful to watch her unravel.

"Little fuckers!" Alex finally squeaked breathlessly and was off again in hysterics until a coughing jag finally calmed her down. Wobbly-kneed, she stumbled into the bathroom and a few minutes later the toilet flushed and water ran.

"Better?" Lena teased as Alex flopped down onto the bed like a lifeless bag of meat to set her head in her lover's lap. As she hoped, Lena immediately stroked the darkly red strands splayed over her belly and thighs. "You know, if you're going to torment Lucy anyway, let's add one of these comically huge things to the mix. Can you imagine the look on her face? Oh look! We can even get it in the soft rubber. Then it can be floppy and terrible."

In that moment, plotting a dreadful and wonderful practical joke, Alex couldn't have adored this woman more.

"Get one of the really obvious animal ones. In the gaudiest color they've got."

"Canine or equine?"

"Canine. So I can make bitch jokes."

"Done!"

They just basked a bit in one another's company before Lena reached out to tap at their cart. "So, have we finalized our little collection of outrageous toys?"

"And then some! Seriously though, what's with their designers having a thing for pointy dicks?"

With ribs tender from laughing too much, Lena still had to chuckle. "We'll still have to find you a good harness, but I honestly don't know that I can take any more laughing!"

"What, you don't have some secretive sex-toy auxiliary company in your corporate portfolio?" 

There was no stopping the burst of glee that escaped Lena at that smart-ass remark. "I should! Are you going to participate in product testing with me, love?"

Alex happily returned the playful leer. "That's my kinda lab work!"

Wheezing for breath, they cuddled for a moment more before Lena pushed Alex upright. "Come on, I need my wallet and we have to get ready."

"Awww!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lil'Vibe Tongue- http://bad-dragon.com/products/lilvibetongue  
> Nox the Night Drake- http://bad-dragon.com/products/nox  
> The Royal Dragon- http://bad-dragon.com/products/royaldragon  
> Trent the Triceratops- http://bad-dragon.com/products/trent  
> ALL of them smalls. Because YIKES.  
> The infamous Teenie Weenies (which I can barely look at without laughing)- http://bad-dragon.com/products/teenieweenies


	8. Extraordinary and Imperfect

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In it was Snoopy and Woodstock atop the iconic red doghouse, all of it bedecked in Christmas finery. The others were cute, but nothing really caught her eye until she unrolled a small bundle in tissue paper. Inside were spindly plastic figures of Sally and Jack Skellington dancing in one another's arms and she was instantly in love. There were days she felt like the ragdoll woman, stitched together from something bigger than herself, and longing to be free. But there were far more days now when she felt rescued by someone unexpected and heroic and imperfect.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had a good time with a lot of the details here, in both their alma maters and in the Christmas ornaments.

"I gotta get some laundry done one of these years," Alex muttered as she rifled through her closet. It was too cool in her apartment to be running around bare-assed and she just didn't want to deal with anything more complicated than sweats, dammit. Finally, she had to reach into a drawer so rarely touched it might as well have frozen shut. They were faintly musty as clothes would get with time, but she found what she was after. But not without dumping half the contents on the floor when she pulled.

Chuckling at the dire muttering, Lena grabbed the fallen pile of red with a smattering of heather gray. Like the heavy red track pants Alex was struggling into on the edge of the bed, all the red gear was emblazoned with 'USC'.

"You have a lot of gear. Did you play sports?"

Alex flashed a grin and Lena could see the wild college student in her. "No, but I ran to clear my head and the materials are quality. Better be for what I paid for them. And they fit in anywhere on campus, so they were useful that way."

"USC is a good school."

"First or second in California, depending on who you ask. I liked USC's science program just a little bit more than UCNC. Their medical programs were about neck and neck, though I had a tough time turning my back on the UCNC Medical Center, I will give them that."

"Science and medical?"

"I never did get my MD, the DEO recruited me when I hit rock bottom and I accept the trade."

"Wait… your MD? I thought you studied biomechanics."

"Yep. Got my alphabet soup for that."

Standing, she yanked the sweats up and stepped over to give Lena a kiss and waggle her eyebrows suggestively. 

"Wanna play doctor with me?"

For a moment, Lena was abruptly the shrewd and feared Luthor CEO, green eyes sharp as glass. "Al, how old are you?"

The question took Alex mildly by surprise. "Twenty seven."

Clearly, that wasn't what Lena had expected. "And how long have you worked for the DEO?"

"Three years."

"So let me see if I understand this correctly. At twenty-four years old you earned your PHD in bioengineering, while simultaneously studying for an MD that barely eluded your grasp?"

Alex shrugged. "Well, yeah."

For a long moment Lena could only stare in something like awed disbelief at this amazing woman she had found herself with. Completely unaware of it, Alex grinned playfully and wrapped Lena in a loose hug.

"Come on, old money, don't tell me you didn't do some snotty Ivy League school."

"Well yes, I went to Harvard and have my Masters in business with a minor in engineering."

"There we go."

Once again, Lena was struck that Alex-- and Kara to some extent-- really didn't get how extraordinary they truly were. Filing that away, she shrugged and went for playful. "At least I'm not Notre Dame, right?"

"Or Stanford," Alex sneered obligingly and they laughed together.

"Outside of Yale and I suppose Princeton, I have no idea who my school rivals even were. I never did follow sports."

"Ugh, Ivy League," Alex teased and chuckled at the swat she earned for that. "So, you gonna trade me reds, hot stuff?"

"Outside of a t-shirt when I was freshman, I'm pretty sure I don't have anything from Harvard. I was glad to be walking away from that much school, you know?"

"I suppose. I liked school. Though, Kara was right, I really was doing too much. J'onn-- who was still Henshaw then-- saved me from what seemed like complete self-destruction. Gave me a job at the DEO, actually he really wouldn't take no for an answer, and gave me a better focus."

Further talk was halted with the bleat of Alex's phone in the other room and she dispensed a quick kiss before moving off to answer. 

Mixed in with the handful of USC Trojans gear, was the heather grey Lena had noticed. She grinned over the faded 'Midvale Sharks' sweatshirt, and decided she was going to have to steal a couple of pieces. She was officially the girlfriend now, she was fairly certain she could do that. Musty with age or freshly laundered, there was the scent of her lover impregnated into all the fabrics around her, and she wallowed in it.

Perhaps there was something here that could shake up her look for the evening. Not the slumming it she'd been doing, nor her carefully tailored work garb, but something completely different. So she let her fingers walk towards the splash of colors tucked off to one side. Amidst the flannels and polos and silky blouses, she found exactly what she wanted. It was a men's dress shirt clearly bought for Alex's body by the size of it, the tiny red and gray stripes faded a bit with washings, the whisper-fine cotton silky with time and wear.

She had just the right accessory for this shirt. 

"Hey, Lena? Can I borrow your hands?"

Grabbing the hanger with the shirt to leave it in the bathroom to be steamed while they showered in a bit, she went to her lover who was standing at her open coat closet near the front door.

"There's a box up there I need."

"Got it."

Inside the old cardboard was a smattering of Christmas decorations, Alex poking through it and jumping at a scuttling spider that met a quick, violent end. There was a handful of fancy and playful ornaments stored in their original boxes or in tissue paper that smelled of dust.

"Pick one."

Puzzled by the words, Lena cocked her head to one side. "Pick one to do what?"

"No, you're adopting one for the holiday. That was Kara on the phone to remind us. So that everyone feels included, everyone's supposed to bring an ornament to hang on the tree at the party. So, pick one." Crowing in delight. Alex pulled something out of the box. "Excellent! I want Bug… err, Matilda, to hang this one up for me. See? My folks had this made when I was born."

It was a flat, etched brass plate stamped into the shape of Santa's sleigh, full of toys. On the side of the vehicle was etched, 'Alexandra'.

"Mom picked up an ornament for her too, but I thought she'd like to do this for me." Pulling out a small, colorful box that was half plastic window, Alex handed it over. "That one is my favorite. I've had it as long as I can remember."

In it was Snoopy and Woodstock atop the iconic red doghouse, all of it bedecked in Christmas finery. The others were cute, but nothing really caught her eye until she unrolled a small bundle in tissue paper. Inside were spindly plastic figures of Sally and Jack Skellington dancing in one another's arms and she was instantly in love. There were days she felt like the ragdoll woman, stitched together from something bigger than herself, and longing to be free. But there were far more days now when she felt rescued by someone unexpected and heroic and imperfect.

Alex drank in her love's sweet expressions and the long, sweet kiss they shared.

"I look forward to dancing with you," Lena murmured against Alex's mouth. "Oh, I'm aware nothing so… athletic as our date in Hawaii, but we'd best not traumatize family and friends anyway."

Remembering how that night had gone brought a filthy curl to Alex's mouth. "Point. But, yes, I'd love to dance with you."

"Something sweet and slow."

"Sounds perfect."

It was difficult not to push her flat to the carpeted floor and waste more of the little time they had. Lena's sigh was pure dramatic frustration and they chuckled together. "I suppose we really do have to get ready."

"Race ya!"

And they were off.


	9. Slick Touch

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Plucking the tube from Alex's fingers, Lena uncapped it and applied the expertly crafted blend of colors and waxes to her lips. The self-satisfied smirk made Alex want to kiss the perfect red off that delectable mouth.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So the scene with the makeup was written awhile ago and I worked my way to it. The more I write for this 'verse, the more of those I get! It was inspired by a scene I wrote years ago involving one character helping another with some personal grooming and I really loved the feel of it, so this is another take on that idea.
> 
> Also, I couldn't resist poking a little fun at Katie McGrath's thing of not 'fessing up to her birthday. Canon assigning Lena the age of twenty-four doesn't fly with me at all and I stand by my own headcanon because it makes far more sense.
> 
>  
> 
> Finally, the picture for this chapter is an interesting one, eh? Originally I was just going to do my best to find a lipstick tube that resembled Lena's fancy one, but stumbled over this pic somewhere. Squint a little and imagine our lovlies here and it's an image that lingers.

As nice as being naked in the shower together was, the slippery fiberglass tub was no place for sexy shenanigans that might end in more bruises and broken bones. Not to mention it was crap for keeping two bodies warm. While Lena worked shampoo through Alex's hair, she grumbled about it.

"When we do this showering together thing again, we're going to my place."

Kissing and nuzzling at her sternum, Alex hummed placid agreement. "Y'know, you never told me how old you were in turn." A quiet huff of amusement added distraction to her warm mouth on Lena's skin. "What a couple of messes we are, huh?"

"Mmmm, yeah, but we make it work."

"Tell me?" Alex coaxed, lost in the breathless tone in her lover's voice, ready to cast caution to the winds. Why Lena was being so coy about it was an unknown, but her sense of privacy was deeply ingrained as it was too rare of a commodity with her background.

But Lena trusted Alex and relented with a sigh. "Thirty. Almost thirty-one."

"Yeah? Bet the stuffed shirts in your company didn't like that. Bet you had fun knockin' 'em down a few pegs too, hot stuff."

"You're ridiculous, you know that right?" Lena teased with mock petulance as she tugged at Alex's hair, kissing her languorously. 

Eventually, the water cooling chased them out to get dried off. That done, they could pull off the silly-looking but effective plastic sleeve that kept the fiberglass cast dry and Lena scrubbed a damp washcloth over the little exposed skin she could get to.

"I think I'd like to surprise you with my outfit," Lena teased and Alex grinned.

"Excellent. I was thinking along those same lines."

So, swaddled in warm towels, they raided their combined supplies and the small space around the bathroom sink quickly became chaotic. Lena greatly enjoyed using the blowdryer to knock out some of the wet from Alex's hair, but refused to dry it completely.

"I like it a little curly and wild," she flirted and that was all it took to make Alex relent. While she wandered into the bedroom to get her things together, Lena used the noisy machine to do the same for her own, more extensive mane. As she was planning on going fairly informal, she didn't bother to finish the job and drew it up in a messy bun for the time being.

Clad in a silky black slip with some chest support built into it, Alex wandered back in, stealing a kiss before she poked at the collection of paints and powders.

"No, no, that's not your color, Tiger," Lena teased as those curious fingers sought out a familiar yet slightly foreign object. Grinning wryly, Alex picked it up to get a better look.

"This is a pretty fancy tube of lipstick. Is it silver?"

The tone was lightly mocking and Lena gave her a flat look, laced with affection. "Stainless steel, actually. It's a handmade artisanal piece and no tube is ever quite the same. It took me years to find a company that made the perfect color for me. I make it worth their while to keep me in stock."

Alex stopped her fiddling and took at better look at the shiny object. "It, uh, suits you."

Plucking the tube from Alex's fingers, Lena uncapped it and applied the expertly crafted blend of colors and waxes to her lips. The self-satisfied smirk made Alex want to kiss the perfect red off that delectable mouth. 

"At two hundred bucks a tube, it better." The blink of surprise made Lena's grin deepen. "It's a thousand to have the tube replaced."

Draping her arms around Alex neck, Lena stroked the back of her head with light, caressing fingers. As always, it focused Alex's attention, and as always, Lena thrilled at being the center of that intense regard.

"I like the best, lover."

She would never tire of that sweet blush. In an adorable attempt at deflecting, Alex half stammered, "but… it's just lipstick…"

That made Lena's smile turn wicked and leaned in close, brushing her lips to her lover's. Her voice was low and sultry and Alex fought not to squirm. "And do you have trouble getting it off me?"

Assaulted with memories, Alex couldn't keep her hand to herself, sliding over the warm terrycloth to snuggle into the small of Lena's back. The right one itched to join in, despite the rigid grip of fiberglass and the dull pain.

"Well, yeah..."

"There we go."

The smugness really should not be as charming as it was.

With the lightest of kisses, Lena pulled away and gave Alex a light push. "Now sit."

Curious, Alex did as ordered, parking her ass on the closed toilet. Humming slightly discordantly to herself, Lena rifled the messy collection of accoutrements to set out the bits and pieces of various makeups there.

"Lee, I can do this myself. Ambidextrous."

Ignoring the faint exasperation, Lena hiked up the towels wrapped around her, not caring in the slightest that the move left her sexily exposed from the bellybutton down. Straddling Alex's thighs, she admonished her lover fondly, "shush you." 

For long moments, Lena stroked over the terrain of Alex's beloved face, as though testing her skin and brows for consistency. She leaned over to select a compact, dusting a bit over the territory just covered. There was a hint of sulk between those brows, an all too familiar pain in relation to that shattered hand. So Lena dug deep, did her best to empathize with this strong, wounded soul she had fallen so hard for. Cupping both hands around Alex's cheeks, she stared into the dark eyes. 

"Hey. If this were reversed would you be doing the same for me?"

It was the right thing to say, Alex's brows drawing together with temper before she relented and gentled. "Yes."

Smartly not dwelling on the flash of temper, Lena went back to work with the tiny brushes and foam pads. "Besides, when do I pass up a chance to touch you? And admire your beautiful eyes? Ah, there's the hint of color I was looking for."

Oh how she loved that bit of sweet blush in this strong woman. It was intoxicating. So she chased the color with a hint of rose over the apple of cheek, and gently pressed fingertips to silky eyelids to close them. From her own supplies, she brushed black into the fringe of eyelashes, drew a subtle hint of Cleopatra to augment them, selected a dusting of a warm neutral spiced with a hint of gold that would enhance the richness of those large, dark eyes. 

It was a welcome task, the unusual intimacy in this very personal grooming. When Alex blinked open those eyes, Lena almost gave in to the intent there, but propriety won out and she pressed halting fingers to that tempting mouth. 

"Nuh-uh, I will not have you ruin my handy work. Down girl." The admonishment lacked weight due to the breathlessness of temptation in her tone. Those damnable eyes going all soft and liquid and needy nearly turned Lena into a puddle. Not to mention that left hand wandering with sweet intent. "The more you do that, the longer we're going to be here."

Knowing she'd gained the upper hand, Alex's puppy eyes turned faintly smug and she murmured throatily, "and that's a bad thing how?"

Even just feeling that wicked mouth moving against her fingertips was enough to make Lena's hips twitch and her eyes go hot and dilated. By the way Alex's eyes went smoky and her expression stark and hungry, she was clearly not the only one. It took a real effort to get back on track and stop tracing the shape of that fine mouth. When Lena spoke, her voice had gone low and rough.

"We have an event to get to, troublemaker. No more shenanigans until after the party."

"Promise?" it was as much supplication as pledge and Lena wanted to take her right there.

"God yes."

Leaving Alex to finish up, Lena stepped into the bedroom to let her hormones settle and grab the things she'd be wearing. On the bed was a long coat of tightly woven dark wool in a quasi-military cut that was something that Lena would not have expected to find in the wardrobe of her leather jackets and knit shirts-wearing girlfriend. But Alex kept surprising her.

She jumped and squeaked at the strong arm that wrapped around her from behind, hand slipping into the towel to press to her naked belly.

"Were you going to sneak a peek, bad girl?"

"N-- no," she stammered, though the idea had been tempting, brought on by a sliver of green peeking out from beneath the coat. Running the tip of her nose teasingly across Lena's nape, Alex hummed a soft noise of skepticism. 

"Well good. Because I'd like to give you something to unwrap later."

With that promise in mind, they forced themselves apart to finish preparations; the sparkle of jewelry, hair brushed out, heels donned, coats pulled warm around their bodies.

"Ready?" Alex asked as she joined Lena, just finishing pinning back the trailing edges of her dark hair to stay out of her face.

"Ready!"


	10. Unexpectedly Friends

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It was hard to believe the puppyishly sulking Kara was one and the same as Supergirl. Plunking herself on the edge of the bed made it shake and the look on her face was both relieved and mournful.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I found this picture of the green slip months ago when writing those chapters set back on their exploratory weekend in Santa Barbara, but only recently figured out how to add pictures to posts. Tada!
> 
> Due to fuckery over at Photobucket, I have moved to Imagur and hopefully the pictures will work again. And there was such a lovely pic on chapter 9 too...

[around 5pm]

With the assistance of several sturdy bars installed tightly between the surfaces of floor and ceiling, Maggie managed a nice bath and getting her long hair the cleanest it had been since before the raid in the desert. 

Sometimes it was the little things that brought the most comfort.

With the bulk of her clothes over at Kara's place in the laundry, Maggie painstakingly toweled off and managed to get into her last pair of clean underwear and the thick robe leant to her by her unexpected host. The weird plastic bag contraption for keeping her leg dry was too much hassle though. Besides, it was the first time her left toes had felt warm since she'd been cut out of her boot and pants.

The shared apartment was eerily quiet and Maggie was happy to hobble her way through the pantry and hanging blanket, immediately warmed by laughter carrying to her ears.

"Behave, Winn!" Kara's voice carried into the short hallway between curtains. "And get! Maggie doesn't need to be embarrassed by being half dressed around you."

"Okay, okay, I'm gone."

Even as Maggie hobbled into the sprawling loft, a door smacked shut nearby. Grateful to find a bed close by, Maggie sat and painstakingly began dragging her leg up. Kara came around the nearby corner and rushed to help.

"Hey, careful. Are you okay?"

"Just sore. Every time I stand up this damn thing aches like fire. Gravity, fluids moving, blah, blah, blah."

"Lay back for a minute."

Refraining from making a cocky, suggestive comment-- really, Lucy was a terrible influence, bless her-- Maggie did as ordered. With gentle hands, Kara lifted the aching leg and tucked up the blankets and quilt around it for some elevation. She also stripped off the plastic shower protector and the cold air bit at bare toes. A flip of blanket helped.

"So, your clothes are still in the wash, sorry. I got distracted."

That made Maggie chuckle as she relaxed from her long walk. "There really isn't much in there for a party."

"You could borrow something."

That made Maggie stare wryly at Kara, who stood nearly a half a foot taller and notably broader. The expression on her face made Kara twist her mouth up funnily. "I'm sure I can come up with something. Are you opposed to a dress?"

"I'm fine with a dress, but the way your clothes fit, I'm pretty sure I would look silly in them. Besides, it's not really the weather for it."

That made Kara look faintly alarmed. "Are you cold?"

"Not yet, but I'll get there pretty quickly."

"I'm so sorry, this place never really warms up and I don't feel it."

"I bet," Maggie chuckled quietly to herself, knowing perfectly well that the little pause in Kara's footsteps had been in response. With some rummaging, a pile of sweaters flew though the air to land with expert marksmanship right onto Maggie's face. Completely amused by it, Maggie looked at the collection, deciding to just snuggle beneath them.

"Kara, these would be huge even on you."

"They're comfy okay. And I'm hard on clothes… um, sometimes."

It was both humorous and a little painful to witness Kara try and cover. Maggie wished she were in a position of trust so that she could just say she knew and they could move on.

"Flexed too hard and stretched 'em out, huh? That super-strength must be a pain."

Or, she could just be blunt.

"What? No. What are you talking about?" Kara tried to deflect, blue eyes wide behind her glasses. There was no going back now and Maggie smiled gently.

"I figured it out a while ago. The glasses and a ponytail might work for those who don't pay attention, which I admit is most of the population, but I'm a detective, remember? And I'm around both sides of you on the regular."

Kara's face fell and Maggie's smile warmed even more.

"Really?"

"Yes Little Danvers, really. Not so sneaky."

"Gosh darn it!"

It was hard to believe the puppyishly sulking Kara was one and the same as Supergirl. Plunking herself on the edge of the bed made it shake and the look on her face was both relieved and mournful.

"Alex is going to kill me."

That made Maggie laugh and reach out to pat her arm. "Your secret is safe with me. I'm part of your fanclub, believe me."

Kara stared at the hand on her, but Maggie's instincts told her stay put. Sure enough, the blue eyes were vulnerable when Kara looked up.

"Thanks, umm, Maggie. I could always use all the friends I can get."

"Me too, Kara. Me too."

\----

After stopping off at Lena's condo complex to retrieve her pile of purchases that Alex teased her about, they were on their way. Just around the corner, Alex's phone buzzed. The text message there made her laugh.

"My mom is saying we have to come upstairs. There's something we have to see."

Pulling into the parking garage part of the historical building and into the space assigned to Edna's apartment, the couple wrestled the dozen or so boxes and stumbled for the elevator. Their awkwardly knocking on Kara's door had Eliza helping set the boxes to the side and gesturing grandly to a sight that set both Alex and Lena to laughing.

Maggie looked warm and comfy and colorful in clothes too large for her, and Bug was putting the final touches of wrapping sparkling tinsel garland around her broken leg to hold the gaudy fleece Christmas blanket in place. It clashed violently with the boldly patterned winterscape sweater so voluminous she looked like a kid playing dress-up. To add to the theme of 'Christmas threw up all over me', Maggie was bedecked with red and gold bows to keep some of her hair pulled back, more worked into the sweater like a swarm of crimson butterflies taking flight.

Without an instant's hesitation, Alex whipped out her phone and took a picture. Or six. 

"You suck, Danvers," Maggie sighed even as Alex picked the best grumpy face and fired it off to Lucy with the text, _Merry fukcing xmas._

By the time Matilda had raced over for hugs and Kara had helped with Lena's worrying over her gifts by pulling out an entire storage bin of themed gift bags, Alex's phone was blowing up with messages.

_OMG Alex you beautiful asshole THANK YOU_

_Awww look at that cute grumpy chihuahua_

_She looks like a 10yo_

_You should put antlers and a hat on her_

Cracking up and reading the messages out loud to make the others laugh and Maggie to roll her eyes, Alex spoke aloud the words she tapped into the phone. "She's probably armed. But maybe I can get Kara to do it."

_Just throw some tinsel at her and run. It's not like she can CHASE you_

_I can't wait to show up later. Remind kara to come pick me up at 8._

When Kara read the last message over her shoulder and noted that Alex didn't say the second sentence out loud, she sighed in resignation. "Don't bother to play dumb around Detective Smirky over there. She figured it out."

The narrow-eyed glare that flashed between a cringing Kara and a barely apologetic Maggie, clearly telegraphed Alex wanting to smack them both with the fiberglass club on her arm.

"Nothing personal, Danvers clan, but I pieced the clues together," Maggie chuckled and Alex barely remembered not to rub at her made-up face.

"You're lucky we like you."

"I'm very aware."

More than ready to change the subject, Kara put on her best cheerful face. "You can't go down to the party in those boring coats. Presents!"

"Prepare yourself," Alex murmured in an aside and grinning leeringly in appreciation as Lena drew off her coat.

"You mean, this coat?"

"I do love it when you steal my clothes, but you're going to pop a couple buttons on this favorite old thing."

"Oh, these buttons?"

Beneath the buttons that strained over far more ample cleavage than Alex ever sported, lay a silk camisole trimmed in lace dyed a summery green with a touch of yellow that did amazing things to Lena's verdant eyes. 

"Is that…?" Alex breathed out reverently, unable to stop herself from reaching up to trail fingertips over the lacy edging.

"It is."

Seven weeks ago, Alex had been terrified and desperate, found succor in this woman, rubbed her face against this green silk as she began learning the body beneath. 

"Still brings out your eyes," she spoke with soft adoration, stepping in close for the one-armed hugs they were better at now. Lena draped both arms over her shoulders, both of them completely forgetting they weren't alone.


	11. Warm and Cozy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Then Alex stepped out from around the corner of the loft, flicking out her own sweater and Lena froze. Accustomed to her lover in a steady stream of casual that she admittedly made look amazing, Lena had not been expecting the high neck sleeveless bodice and flared skirt of deeply emerald green lace dress.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, yeah, I do have a miniature headcanon about the dress that I hinted at in dialog, because it amuses me.

Kara didn't mean to sigh so loudly, both Alex and Lena jumping and blushing as they remembered where they were.

Okay, so maybe she kinda did…

"One gift on Christmas Eve."

Somehow, even after everything, Lena was still shocked by the large bag held out to her. "But I…"

"You're here, and that's gift enough, Lena. Besides, you can't come to a Danvers Christmas event without your own outrageous sweater."

Sure enough, in the bag was a heavy and tightly woven cotton knit with something silky and fine mixed into the fiber. Alpaca if Lena's fingers knew her fabrics. Pulling it out, she let Bug helpfully take the bag so that she could admire the sweater as it fell from its folds. It was only mildly outrageous, with bands of repeating holiday images parading across the black field.

"Since it's your first year with us," Kara explained as she reached out to undo the quartet of buttons. "I was merciful and kept it simple."

"There is no avoiding the ugly Christmas sweaters, so don't even try," Alex laughed as she strode across the loft in her crimson slingbacks with just enough heel to catch the eye. It was only then that it really clicked with Lena that everyone was indeed in an outrageous holiday sweater, not just Maggie. Even Matilda was sporting a button-up, patterned in bright panels, each with a ornament or tree or such within it.

"When in Rome," Lena said happily and shrugged into the warm knit, pleased that the buttons only came halfway up her torso so that she could continue to torment Alex with the green silk slip. 

Then Alex stepped out from around the corner of the loft, flicking out her own sweater and Lena froze. Accustomed to her lover in a steady stream of casual that she admittedly made look amazing, Lena had not been expecting the high neck sleeveless bodice and flared skirt of deeply emerald green lace dress.

"Lost her," Kara sighed and Alex chuckled throatily as she sauntered over, smug as a cat.

"I have to say, that is hands down the best reaction I've gotten in three Christmases of this thing."

The utilitarian sling that normally cradled her arm was missing temporarily and Lena shook off her lusty paralysis to help with getting Alex's sweater over her rigid hand. "You look stunning. I feel underdressed."

"Thank you. And I love you in this outfit." A flash of mischievous smile made Lena smile helplessly back. "Besides, this means I get to be the eye candy tonight. Poor me. It's a rarity that I get to go over the top this much, but Kara would pout if I didn't bring mean green here out at least once a year."

"Considering that dress is probably worth twice what we both make in a year? Uh, yeah!"

Alex looked sarcastically amused at Kara's comment. "She insists it's a Valentino original."

"I was there when Miss Grant opened the box, Alex! I still don't understand his sizing of the thing, because there is no way she would ever fit in that."

"Someone was probably trying to get in your pants," Alex mocked and Kara growled, ears pinking.

"Shut up, Alex!"

As Alex shrugged into her Peanuts-themed sweater-- Snoopy and Woodstock taking up half her torso-- Lena ran a hand over her belly, feeling the elegant weave of the intricate lace and the crispness of the perfectly matched fabric beneath. "I'm good with fabrics, Tiger, and this lace is handmade. Did you have this tailored?"

"Uh, no. It seemed like a good fit by chance. That's why Kara made me keep it."

"Well, you might have given a tailor a shock, because this could indeed be an original Valentino. You do it justice."

Then it was Alex's turn to blush. Pleased with the reaction, Lena smiled down at the tiniest of their numbers.

"Matilda, honey, can you get Alex's sling for me, please?"

Nodding, the child skipped off and Maggie called out, "you should let junior decorate it. She did a heck of a job on my cast!"

Shaking off her carnal distraction, Alex moved off to sit beside Maggie on the couch and let Bug do as she pleased, while Lena turned her glee onto a wildly grinning Kara. A pouncing hug made Kara laugh in delight, swinging her best friend around like a child and wallowing in the embrace.

"Thank you," Lena murmured, petting the golden hair. "I feel like Harry with his first Weasley sweater for Christmas."

Kara only squeezed just the tiniest bit harder and sniffled away the burn of tears. Smiling at the warmth all around, Eliza knelt at the bin of gift bags, quickly joined by Lena and Kara. 

"You were shopping at work, naughty," Kara teased and Lena only smirked. 

"I need some new holiday traditions. Besides, what's the point of being the boss if I can't say 'fuck it' sometimes?"

It was mostly a collection of silly, fun things with some more heartfelt gifts mixed in. Lena put her hand over Kara's eyes a couple of times to squirrel away an object, ignoring the pout and warning her not to use her super-vision.

Remembering that she'd forgotten to get Lena's help with the little diamond stud earrings she'd brought along, Alex asked Matilda to do it. But after fondling the little pieces, she handed them back.

"Claws," she explained simply and shrugged.

"I bet you could do it."

"Hey, I got it," Maggie jumped in, noting that Bug looked a little uncomfortable. "Check it out, kid. See, the backing slides over the point and clicks into this little groove."

Alex leaned forward and tilted her head, Bug standing on the couch beside her to peer at the proceedings. Maggie brushed aside silky strands of hair and placed the first earring to a gasp from Bug.

"Doesn't that hurt? There's no blood!"

Laughing, Alex waited until Maggie's hands fell away until she could lean back and hug Matilda to her chest. "No, sweetie, I had my ears pierced when I was twelve. Yeah, it hurt a little bit, but I healed up fast and now there's permanent little holes there."

So Bug had to see for herself, poking at Alex's empty earlobe and taking on the challenge of the second earring to find that the task was indeed within her abilities, much to her pleasure. Alex hugged and Maggie clapped and offered a high-five, which she then had to teach and Bug loved it, slapping the offered hand and giggling. 

"Are we ready, girls?"

Alex stood to pull at Maggie's hand while Bug pushed and then handed over the crutches. "Thanks, kid," Maggie praised and ruffled her hair before hobbling after her. It was only then that the plethora of miniature sleigh bells Bug had gone overboard decorating with came to jingling to life. Maggie could only sigh in resignation as Alex and Matilda both burst into girlish giggling.

Laden down with gift bags and healing injuries, the party of six crowded the smaller elevator, shuffling carefully to avoid the casted limbs in their cheerful holiday wrappings. Once braced against the movement of the elevator car, Maggie elbowed Alex to stop the humming of 'Silver Bells'. 

The instant the elevator door rolled open on the ground floor, the group was assaulted with wonderful smells; living evergreens and savory foods and the damp of fresh rain from outdoors. Sure enough, the army of potted arborvitae shrubs had been situated invitingly by the two doors to the party rooms and leading off towards the glass entry doors where a full-sized and festively decorated tree stood. Each of the shrubs sparkled with tiny white lights, narrow strands of tinsel garland and festive wrappings of red ribbon. Bug was mesmerized, but quickly distracted as they came to the main event.

There were already people there, Susan and her Harts calling greetings while the newcomers gawked. For all that they seen the room earlier in the day, Angie's finishing touches were magnificent. Just the right level of tasteful sparkle had been placed about, the electric fireplaces rippled like the real thing and cheerful holiday tunes carried through the warmed air like the scent of good things to eat. 

"Wow," Matilda breathed out where she clutched Alex and Eliza's hands. "It's so pretty."

"Welcome to our first real Christmas, sweetheart," Lena said quietly with her hands gentle on Matilda's shoulders.


	12. Awkward, but Connecting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With one hand, Kara swung the little girl up, supporting one knee until she was kneeling on strong shoulders. The furry fox tail twitched excitedly while Matilda admired each ornament before delicately placing them on the springy wire branches for her new family. There was even one for Maggie, who called a 'thank you' as she painstakingly gravitated towards her now-familiar recliner.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had a tough time with the photo on this chapter, but found this lovely one of a child hanging an ornament and it worked out nicely. And I got to build more on the unusual friendship that seems to be happening with Lena and Maggie. Booya!

Kara broke away from the others to approach where Angie was glaring pensively up the huge support column in the center of the room.

"What's wrong?"

With a little jump of surprise, Angie turned and was instantly all smiles again. "Oh hi Kara. You look lovely and that sweater is a riot."

"Thank you, Angie, you look great too. Those autumn colors are perfect on you, but seriously, what's bothering you up there?" Kara's expression was all fond exasperation and Angie caved, surprised at herself at how this half-stranger made her feel.

"Fine," she huffed to cover her mixed feelings. "That tarp got knocked askew and it's driving me crazy. But the ladder would be tacky at this point in your event."

It seemed like a trivial matter, but Kara absolutely understood that nagging sensation of something just not quite right. From the moment she had landed on this world, details were the only thing that saved her and everyone around her. Just exactly the right pressure when she wrapped her hand around something, just the right shift of her body when she was jostled by someone, just the right calculation of speed and thrust and centrifugal force when she flew with a person or object in her safekeeping. Like a supercomputer, she was a constant stream of calculation and detail. It was a valuable skill that made tracking the minutiae of waitressing a snap, made her the best assistant the demanding Cat Grant had ever had, helped her be the best reporter she could be.

But sometimes, she had to bend the rules a bit.

"Here, let me help. Brace yourself."

The girlish noise of surprise Angie made was oddly appealing as Kara crouched to set her shoulder to the back of the smaller woman's thighs and lift her onto one shoulder. The warmth of her nearly made Kara forget to pretend that there was a real effort involved as she stood, Angie's hands scrabbling at her hair.

" _Che cavolo_!" Angie squawked with all the startled ire of her Italian blood. While Kara didn't know the words, she got the intent of them. Perhaps being impulsive wasn't her strong suit…

"Umm… sorry… I should have--"

"You're lucky I'm used to feeling a bit on the short side," Angie muttered and stretched up to grab the edge of the offending tarp and yank it into submission. She couldn't help but note that not only did Kara seem unfazed by her weight, but actually pressed up a bit to give her the last couple inches of reach she needed. Apparently this seemingly unassuming and completely appealing nerd was made of pure muscle and baby-soft skin.

Tapping her hand against Kara's jaw where she'd grabbed for support, Angie found herself more amused than annoyed.

"You can set me down now, Thor."

"Sorry, right, sorry," Kara stammered and crouched to let Angie slide from her shoulder.

"You're lucky you're cute."

Kara found herself flustered anew and she jumped a bit when Matilda suddenly threw herself around her waist in a hug. "Me too, Kara! Me too! I get to hang the orn'ments!"

With one hand, Kara swung the little girl up, supporting one knee until she was kneeling on strong shoulders. The furry fox tail twitched excitedly while Matilda admired each ornament before delicately placing them on the springy wire branches for her new family. There was even one for Maggie, who called a 'thank you' as she painstakingly gravitated towards her now-familiar recliner. 

Not dissimilarly to the living room in Edna's place upstairs, the pair of recliners had the best spot, facing the entry door with their backs to the wall. A pair of large black leather couches flanked them in an open-ended 'V' and there were several low, sturdy tables that looked to made of real stone scattered among the seating. 

A pair of hands on Maggie's hips steadied her as she wavered trying to navigate the stone tables. The touch made her jump and rein in a violent, reflexive reaction, which she was grateful for as a familiar voice spoke up behind her.

"I got you," Lena reassured and she half walked Maggie over to the recliner.

"Thanks, Lena," Maggie groaned as she levered her weight against the helping hand offered, her leg being scooped up by the other.

"Hey, you're my calisthenics for the day," Lena teased warmly and kept her grip on the fiberglass as Maggie groped for the control to the footrest.

"What, Danvers not exercise you enough?" The teasing tone became wide-eyed consternation. "Oh shit, that was…"

But Lena only laughed. Maggie was struck again at how different this woman was, how adaptable and non-judgmental her personality.

"You're pretty amazing, you know that?"

The compliment brought a shy edge to Lena's smile. "I just like when all of you are easy enough around me to tease and include me."

And it was such a simple thing, really, but Lena appreciated it every single time. Finally, the footrest rose up and the casted leg could be settled. When Lena straightened up, she smiled again, the happy expression laced with shy and sly. "And, yes, she exercised me quite nicely."

Maggie laughed in pleased surprise at the sass.

With Bug straddling her neck and looking around in fascination, tapping at the dangling strings of lights just at the edge of her reach, Kara naturally gravitated to the raised platform. Having already charmed Alex's phone away from her, Matilda took pictures of whatever caught her eye. Which included Winn wrapping up his conversation and bouncing over like an affectionate puppy.

"He-ey, lookit you, Big Sis, looking all spiffed up and sexy!" he flattered and then looked faintly horrified at himself before slinking off. "I can't believe I said that…"

Laughter trailed after him.

"I'm torn between being amused and insulted," Alex commented dryly and Lena just giggled. "Gimme a sec to go troll the lad, won't you?"

"Troll away, my love. I'll be here."

With a swish in her step, Alex stalked over the to the portable units that made up the bar and grinned warmly at M'gann, glad to see the Martian woman. With a smaller echo of the smile, M'gann waggled a closed beer in question and Alex shook her head.

"I'd love to, but my doctor would kill me."

Because Winn was looking at her warily, Alex had to tease him. "Hey, Santa's Little Helper, lookin' for a good time?"

He just glared sourly and Alex laughed before bumping shoulders with him.

"And thank you, jerkface."

That made him relent his sourness and return the shoulder bump. Then Alex turned her smile on M'gann.

"I'm really glad to see you. Merry almost Christmas."

"You too, Alex. While it's quiet, I'm going to go say hello to Maggie."

"She'd like that."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> http://www.italylogue.com/about-italy/italian-swear-words-jessicas-8-favorites.html   
> Here’s an example of an exclamation that is really only funny to me because I translate it literally in my head when I hear it. “Cavolo” literally means “cabbage,” but when you say it emphatically it’s kind of like the equivalent of “holy crap!” or a more forceful version of “wow!” Even better, in my humble opinion, is what happens when you put the innocuous-looking “che” in front of it – “che cavolo?” offered as a question is kind of like saying, “what the fuck?” but you’re really saying, “what cabbage?” Ah, I love that.
> 
> Bonus from IMs:  
> Shatterpath: OMG NO! I ALMOST MISSED THE PERFECT COMMENT  
> Shatterpath: calls her THOR! BAHAHAHAHAH  
> theillogicalthinker: Nice. Long blonde hair, amazing muscles  
> Shatterpath: and that 'pure muscle and baby-soft skin' was speaking of Hems (in Ghostbusters)? EVEN FUNNIER  
> theillogicalthinker: Totally the god of thunder, YES. Double easter egg. Amazing layered egg  
> Shatterpath: bless the Muses. for all the times I rant about them, I get stuff like this  
> (That this is all Angie, whom I borrowed from my MCU days? Icing on the cake.)


	13. More Sisters

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lena had blossomed around these people like a rose in the summer sun and Jess was too curious to resist seeing how it had happened. So, she found herself at a lovely old concrete and brick building where the driver dropped her off, though she didn't linger to admire the architecture as she would have normally done. Really, all of this rain was wearing; it wasn't like Southern California at all!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Jess may be my favorite reaction to Alex in this entire saga.
> 
> The picture below that represents Kara and Bug isn't entirely accurate, but it was the closest I could manage. -chuckle- She loves rides from Auntie Kara who never, ever gets tired! And an assortment of ridiculously yummy Tillamook products to tease you with. Because I'm mean. ;D

Watching poor Kara flail at interacting with the cute party planner was adorable and sweetly awkward. Maggie felt like she needed to raise a drink to all the lovely queers around her, gay, bi and every other shade of queer. She hoped they would have it easier than she did. All of them were so warm and loving that it soothed even her wary heart. Lena watched where Bug squirmed around until she was straddling Kara's neck, legs dangling down her chest to be held in hands gentle as a butterfly and strong enough to crush a train. Her giggling was infectious as she batted at the dangling lights, trusting Kara to keep her from falling. Frankly, Maggie was half surprised the Kryptonian kept her feet on the floor, disguise or no.

"Don't pull, Tilly," Kara admonished gently and Matilda froze before peering into Kara's face.

"What's Tilly?"

"Oh, right. Tilly is one of the short versions of your new name. I used it without thinking. I don't have to, but it's also the short name of my favorite ice cream."

"I like ice cream."

"Who doesn't like ice cream? Well Maggie doesn't, but that's not her fault."

"I like it," Maggie called out. "I just can't eat it. And Tilly is a cute name."

"You don't have to decide right away," Kara reassured, shifting her grip to loop her arms around Matilda's back, the child leaning on her head. "You can say no, or test it out a little bit and then decide."

"Are you talking about Tillamook?" Eliza asked as she joined them, patting Bug's back and stroking Kara's arm. "The name comes from a dairy town out on the Oregon coast that really does provide the best dairy in probably the entirety of the United States."

"Cheese too," Kara added and Bug lit up.

"Mmmmmm, cheese!"

They all laughed warmly at her delight, strong little body squirming on Kara's shoulders in a silly dance.

"Hey, Thor, you have yourself a pretty cute tree topper there," Maggie teased warmly and Kara just sighed and tried not to blush. "With all this showing off, I'm gonna have to start calling you 'Gun Show'."

Kara tried to be sour about the gentle teasing, but watch Maggie curl her arms in the classic body-builder pose and look cartoonishly fierce was too funny. Tilly giggled and tugged at Kara's chin so their eyes could meet. "You have lots of names too?"

"I do seem to be picking them up, yes. Particularly from your troublemaker aunties. At least Lucy isn't here right now."

"What's 'gun show'?"

Kara just face-palmed.

Having entertained the masses for the moment, Kara and Matilda went for the buffet and promises of tasty treats. They passed M'gann on their way, earning a quirk of smile.

"M'gann!" Maggie greeted cheerfully. "How is my favorite bartender and great big guardian angel doing?"

The Human-disguised Martian gave her a droll look, but her smile was warm. "Hi Maggie. It's good to see you on the mend."

Lena marveled again at her ease around these people when M'gann sitting beside her didn't even cause a nervous tic of reaction. She had been watching the Cadmus raid through Alex's body cam, seen the brutal natural form of the White Martian as she took on the bear-man that almost killed Susan. Yet, Lena felt no fear. Her trust in these people was that implicit, and it gave her strength. 

Naturally, the friends gravitated together, Susan and Kyra with half-eaten plates of nibblies took the other recliner, as expected, while Reba went to Eliza and they fell to chatting. Michael followed Kara and Bug back to the group, happy to join in on visiting with Maggie alongside M'gann.

In the middle of it all, Lena felt warm and happy.

\----

Really, what was she doing here? She wasn't friends with these people, she'd barely met even a few of them! But both Kara and Lena had asked so nicely, threatening to pull out big, pleading eyes to get her to say yes. It had been disconcerting, flattering and funny, to be honest; big, bad Lena Luthor making puppy eyes. Really, she was seeing all sorts of facets of her boss she'd only seen hints of before.

Lena had blossomed around these people like a rose in the summer sun and Jess was too curious to resist seeing how it had happened. So, she found herself at a lovely old concrete and brick building where the driver dropped her off, though she didn't linger to admire the architecture as she would have normally done. Really, all of this rain was wearing; it wasn't like Southern California at all!

Thankfully there was a cheerful vinyl canopy protecting a large swath of concrete in front of the building's door and a second panel that sealed up the upper half of the toweringly tall alcove that housed the main entrance. There was an elegant and innocent-seeming doorman waiting there, but Jess recognized the alert hardness in his eyes as a well-trained guard. Good. 

"Do you need a hand?"

Startled, Jess turned to find a man had sidled up with a winning smile. He was tall and handsome, offering a hand.

"James Olsen, friend of the Danvers."

That put her at some ease and her smile was warm, but subdued. "Jess Castin. I'm Lena's assistant."

There was an odd moment when both smiles faltered, a reality both were well used to. Jimmy Olsen, well known to have a direct connection to Superman, and Jess with her old connections to the Luthor name.

Several nagging suspicions in Jess' mind grew closer to truth, but she tabled that with the ease of one used to heavy multitasking. 

With a self-depreciating chuckle, James shook his head and his smile warmed again. "Lena's been quite the education for me. It's a pleasure to meet someone that knows her well."

For the moment, Jess took the comment as the peace offering it was meant as, bolstered with the knowledge that the door guard clearly recognized Olsen. So, once out of the weather, she paused and let him take one of the heavy bags weighing her down. "Thank you, Mr. Olsen."

Just where the entryway doglegged into the large hallway past the heavy glass doors, there was a blast of air that made them jump in surprise and Jess noted the square arch of steel she had passed through. It might look like a plain industrial accent, but she knew it was a sensor suite. Even better.

James eyed it and made an acknowledging sound, but no comment. There was a colorful sign on a stick jammed into the last of the potted evergreens that read 'Danvers Party, guests only' and 'Coat check and restrooms' with arrows pointing in opposite directions.

"Guess that's our cue," Jess shrugged and they went to the right to check in damp coats with the well-dressed employee there. She couldn't help but stare at the classy dark sweater James wore, a pattern of descending snowflakes thinning from shoulders to chest. It wasn't the sweater itself, but the gaudy swathes of tacky rhinestones glittering in haphazard pattern in the woven yarn. A lot of tacky rhinestones.

"Outrageous Christmas sweaters are a thing," he explained with a chuckle and Jess blinked.

"That was serious?"

Laughing, James gestured gallantly at the door to indicate that Jess should proceed him. "Don't worry about it, you look lovely."

Appreciating the manners, Jess murmured a thank you and headed across the hallway. She paused a moment, not acknowledging James' curious look, and took a deep breath to steel herself before stepping inside. The sounds of merriment echoed about the large space and cavernously high ceilings like a harmony to the strains of holiday music. The rough industrial space had been elegantly decked out in the style of an outdoor holiday event. She particularly liked how the heavy support pillar smack in the center of the room had been mocked up to look like a huge Christmas tree. Very clever. 

On a raised dais was a collection of comfortable seating packed with a variety of boisterously happy people of all ages, colors, shapes and sizes. As though somehow sensing Jess' presence, Kara's head swiveled around and she lit up with delight. That regard instantly warmed and reassured her, Jess smiling back, waving a little. On the reporter's shoulders was the unusual child that had so stolen Lena's heart, Jess remembering the gushing on over the photos she had had shown Jess at work. Clearly moving to approach, Kara paused and nodded at something.

"Jess?"

Startled at the voice close behind her, she turned to see a strikingly attractive brunette standing there, smiling with a hint of awkwardness. It took a long moment for Jess to realize that the stranger, beautifully dressed under that tacky Christmas sweater, was--

"Al," she said with surprise and the taller woman blinked in small confusion. "I'm so sorry, I didn't even recognize you, uh, Agent Danvers."

That brought on a full, sparkling, warm beam that was quite stunning. Well for sheer good looks and a killer smile, Jess could get why Lena had been drawn in. She was straight, not blind.

"True, we did only meet when I was at my irritable, growling worst." Her expression went wry and a little self-deprecating. "Well, not my worst, but my point stands. Now I'm rambling. Start over again? You can absolutely call me Al, like Lena does, and I don't let anyone else do that, and… I should really shut up now."

She was charming and Jess' grin deepened. So much of Kara suddenly made so much sense, meeting her hero in this woman. 

"It's a pleasure, Al. Thank you for inviting me."

There was an awkward moment of switching hands as Jess was reminded that Alex was down a right hand and they shook with the left. There was only a hint of the coiled power that lay beneath Alex's warm exterior in her firm grip and Jess noted it. 

"Of course you were invited, you're the closest thing she has to good, decent family."

Despite Lena having said essentially the same thing, it still took Jess aback.

"Well, she deserves it. I've always liked Lena, from the day we met."

Alex's smile deepened. "That's a story I'd really like to hear when you're up for it."

Charmed again, Jess felt the last of her reticence to be among these strangers fall away. "You're on."


	14. Sisters Dancing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Like they were once more those star-crossed strangers, fumbling through getting to know each other, Alex and Kara were still giggling together, even as their dancing was pretty spot on, despite Alex's right arm in its sling.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The conversation that Alex and Eliza have is another snippet I sat on forever, because I loved it, but it had no home. It found a good spot here.
> 
> I'm thrilled to have gotten in a bit of teasing with Jess. It reflects my headcanon these two have been side by side for nearly ten years and that gives them a great deal of backstory. Some of which I hope to get into!
> 
> This is another pic that isn't accurate, but the intent is true. I was shocked to find how hard it was to find women dancing together! We'll call it a flashback of the sisters as youngsters, horsing around on the beaches of Midvale.

Excusing herself quietly from the group, Lena skirted around the back of the couch and went to where Jess grinned up at Alex.

"My two favorite ladies," she greeted them warmly and basked in their smiles. "Jess, I'm so glad you could make it."

"Wouldn't miss it. After all I finally get to meet your Al."

Wrapping an arm around Alex's muscled waist, Lena beamed at the shy pleasure on her face. Flustered, Alex rubbed her nose against Lena's in lieu of a kiss and rambled on with the adorkable charm she had passed on to Kara. "Umm, really pleased to meet you and jazzed you're here and make yourself at home, 'kay? I think I'm going to go embarrass myself some more with my little brother over there. Come on, James."

Ducking away, Alex retreated to where Winn had paused by the fake tree to openly stare. He jumped as though startled when his pals descended on him. 

Lena shifted to stand shoulder to shoulder with Jess and watch them horse around a moment. She was delighted when Jess spoke up thoughtfully.

"She's really charming." 

"You have no idea."

"Y'know, if I bent that way…" Jess teased and chuckled at Lena's startled and slightly sharp look. "Relax, Lena, I'm straight, not oblivious. She's not what I expected, I have to admit. Certainly not the very nice, but dreadfully serious Special Agent Danvers who whisked you off to Hawaii, hmm?"

Sweetly embarrassed, Lena was almost at a loss for words, gesturing somewhat lamely at Kara, who was grinning. "Umm, yes. Would you like to meet the infamous Bug?"

Alex found herself watching Jess meet Matilda, the child peering down from her high perch, wary but so curious. A familiar presence sidling into her personal space earned no startle and Alex was unsurprised to find her mother standing there, a small smile on her face.

"I'm really happy to see that sappy look on your face, sweetie."

There was no escaping the bashful grin, the rush of sweet emotion that flooded through her at the thought of her loved ones; sister, lover, child.

"This all happened really fast, didn't it?"

The hesitant query wasn't like Eliza, usually so up front and challenging, but Alex understood it. They were still figuring one another out, rebuilding years of mistakes and hurts. 

"It really did." 

The easy agreement was clearly not what Eliza had been expecting, but Alex was determined to be a better communicator with her loved ones and keep the good in her life.

"I figure out seemingly out of the blue that it's been women this whole time because I fell for my friend and that blew up in my face, then I turn around and there's this amazing near-stranger who offers me a hand and a haven, and I know I should have been wary and protective of myself, but I was hurting and lonely and so, so terrified. All these feelings and… needs… and I was such a mess Mom, you have no idea.

"So, yeah, I tripped into Lena and now I'm taking a chance because I'm so tired of being alone and walled off. All or nothing, right?"

A bit shocked by the outpouring of words, Eliza intuitively sensed there was more coming, wrapping an arm around her troublesome, beloved child. Relieved for the touch, Alex leaned into her, taking strength from the oldest, deepest bond she knew.

"And Bug needs a family, and I adore her and I think Lee might even be crazier about her and they clicked like they were meant to be. And I know you always wanted love and family for me, but I could never see it, and the whole closet is the main part of it, because I always assumed it would be some guy who would be unlikely to respect what I do."

An ironic huff of humor sounded a little wet and Eliza pressed a kiss to Alex's dark hair in silent support. 

"Instead, I managed to find someone who I think actually has to work even harder than I do. And it might seem like Lena's in less danger on the day to day, but… Huh. Never, ever in a million years, did I think I might be the more normal half of the equation. Lena's is unfortunately built into her name and she would love to avoid it. I charge right at it."

For long moments, Alex leaned in so hard Eliza felt as though she were holding up more than just a physical weight. With every loving, protective instinct she had always felt for this extraordinary girl, she spoke gently. "Are you ready to take a break?"

"Besides my hand?"

"Alex…"

"Sorry, sorry, gallows humor. Yeah, I think I'm starting to really get how love and family can change priorities. Thanks Mom, it was good to get some of that out."

"You're welcome, sweetie."

As though conjured up by the closing of the conversation, Kara appeared out of nowhere, sans her adorable neck decoration. "I love this song!" she squealed and grabbed Alex in a loose hold. "Dance with me!"

Mock rolling her eyes, Alex let Kara have her way and both girls gave Eliza quick kisses on the cheek and let her escape.

Giggling and carrying on, the sisters were oblivious of the rest of the crowd, a decade or more shed from them. They seemed more giggly teens than grown women with so much on their shoulders. Alex was playfully batting away Kara's grabby hands, but still found herself swept up in a silly dance hold. They burst out laughing at the lack of a right hand, so Kara shrugged and switched out her stance, effortlessly twirling Alex like a Disney princess.

Even with one clearly recovering from her injuries and the other so powerful she could crush the entire building with a stray blow, they fit. 

"It was February sixth, two thousand and four," Eliza said fondly as she joined Lena where she stood aside to just observe, Matilda hiding behind her legs and watching all the strangers with big eyes. Lena kept one hand brushing the child's black hair while gratefully accepting the glass of white wine Eliza offered. "My husband and I had worked with Superman due to my medical specialty and he didn't quite know what to do with a twelve year old Kara. So he brought her to us. Alex was just a bit more than thirteen and a half."

Like they were once more those star-crossed strangers, fumbling through getting to know each other, Alex and Kara were still giggling together, even as their dancing was pretty spot on, despite Alex's right arm in its sling.

"They were always good at this," Eliza continued on, her voice soft with adoration. "It's a shame they gave it up. In the beginning, Kara had such trouble with the simplest of tasks and would get so frustrated and upset. The dancing was actually Alex's idea and was an excellent way for Kara to learn to be gentle."

Lena was fascinated by not just the story, but the trust being shown her in the sharing.

"Dancing takes teamwork," she ventured tentatively and that perked up at Eliza's smile.

"It absolutely does. It's one of the reasons why they're so intuitive. They know how to read each other's body language and movements so well. I imagine it must translate into field work. They were impossibly cute. My bossy Alex, so stubborn and determined; Kara trying so very hard to get everything just right. When they began, Alex insisted on leading, not that I think that would surprise you." Eliza's teasing tone coaxed out a shy smile from Lena. "Then Kara shot up suddenly and they switched. Oh, Alex was so cranky at being the 'girl', but Kara was always a really good partner."

"That could have led to some of Kara's leadership skills," Lena offered. "I can't imagine Alex was easy to lead."

"The worst."

One would never know now, Alex easily letting Kara lead her around to the strains of 'Uptown Funk' as it blasted across the room.

"They tried to cover up at least one incident of Kara getting a bit overzealous, but the poorly patched hole in the ceiling and Alex's goose egg gave them away."

As though Kara was listening in on them-- and she might very well have been-- she suddenly spun Alex and dipped her dramatically, making kissy faces that earned loud laughter. Hanging there trustingly in her sister's hands, Alex feigned swooning dramatically through her amusement.

"The best lessons of, 'gently, Kara,' they learned together."

"It seems to me they both learned so much," Lena added softly, her heart full.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I'm out of town for a week and a half and posting might be spotty until I get home. But fear not, we'll catch up soon enough!


	15. New Cats

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There was no way to ever get used to seeing that look of utter delight that dawned over Kara's face. Lena squealed and laughed as she was swept up in crushingly strong arms, her feet dangling.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There were actually too many good things I could have used as pictures for this chapter! Though the final choice will make sense in short order. Bug's new companions will be a fixture in her new life, a source of comfort and stability that blends together with her new people. J'onn was an absolute delight in this chapter particularly his words about Santa. Made me sniff, I admit it…

  


There was a steady trickle of people coming and going now; agents and their families, Catco employees and alien friends from all over the city.

J'onn was gratified and warmed by the upwelling of happy greetings from the people he cared most about in this world. Still in mid-dip, the Danvers sisters craned their necks to see him, their smiles delighted and slightly baffled at his appearance. Carefully standing and getting Alex settled onto her feet again, Kara led the way to meet him. Their expressions said it all, but J'onn decided to play along, setting down the enormous red bag he was carrying.

"The theme was 'ugly Christmas sweater', yes?"

Splashed over the entirety of his broad torso was a goofy cartoon reindeer's face in all of its googly-eyed glory.

"I honestly never thought we'd see that monstrosity again," Alex admired, her tone heavily amused.

"Nonsense," J'onn objected gently, "this is one of my favorite articles of clothing."

"Probably one of your only articles of clothing," Alex teased back. "But this silly thing? Really?"

"Of course. It was gift from both of you."

He wallowed in their combined hugs, Kara strong enough to break even him, but Alex no slouch, even with one arm.

"So what did you bring us, Santa?"

Huffing a laugh at their twin looks of childish enthusiasm, he gave them another squeeze. "I do have gifts for you, but most of this bulk is for your young Bug."

That brought her to them, her footsteps light and mincing, to press between the sisters, who each put a reassuring hand on her.

"For me?"

Kneeling, J'onn smiled gently at the child. "There is a legend on this world that I have always enjoyed. A legend of a mythological figure, a protector of the innocence of children and their joy. His name is Santa Claus and it is a tradition to give gifts in his name for Christmas. In that spirit, a gift for you, child."

Peeling back the mouth of the huge sack from the lumpy contents within made Bug jump in surprise and alarm. But, before any of her adults could react, curiosity and wonder took over.

"They are toys," J'onn explained gently. "Meant to amuse and comfort."

Each twice the size of her runty little frame, the gifts left Bug round-eyed in wonder. They were intricately built of soft, colorful fur that resembled the real thing, despite the plushy falseness of them. They were cats, a pair forever trapped in regal repose, heads raised in alertness, eyes fixed on some distant point. The larger was a great, striped tiger with a swath of longer fake fur over chin and jaw, its companion a darkly-furred leopard, smattered with black rosettes. Each wore a shirt tied around its neck like a cape, the familiar DEO zippered black on the tiger and the leopard sporting a stylish white button up in silk-fine cotton that had last seen the corporate confines of L-Corp. 

Bug crept from the safety of the sisters and touched the toys' soft faces in wonder before doing her best to grab both in a big hug and rub her face into the comforting scents trapped in the fabric they wore. She held on like a limpet as J'onn scooped up all three of them to be carried over to the cluster of couches and recliners, Alex trailing after them.

"They're wonderful," Bug gushed where she was happily squashed amid the soft bulk of the cats and J'onn's strong embrace. "How did you get them?"

"I had a little help from someone else who wears red and can fly."

Lena stood from where she had once more been sitting with Maggie to meet them. Kara merely looked pleased and a little smug when her sister and best friend gawked. "I simply asked Supergirl to pick them up and then I raided your laundry. No big deal."

She was pleased by the big hug Lena grabbed her in, squeezing with all her strength until Kara chuckled. Her return embrace was much more careful, soaking up the welcome contact.

"Just because," Lena murmured into Kara's shoulder. "I'm just so grateful that you stumbled into my life."

"Me too."

For a moment, they watched J'onn carry Matilda over to the others. Rather than take up real estate on the couches, Bug was happy to take over the top of the wooden enclosure around the heater. Between the cat stuffies and a couple of the giant pillows Angie had provided, she looked like a tiny cub peering out of her nest. 

Knowing the child was in good hands, Lena relaxed into Kara's warmth, her head coming to rest on a strong shoulder. Unconsciously, Kara shifted their bodies to the music, a slightly awkward shuffle neither of them gave a damn about. Lena was more than happy to just lean into her friend, their arms loose and comforting around one another.

"You know, there's a certain perverse irony to this. To us?"

It was an odd statement that Kara couldn't puzzle out, her steps faltering. Lena craned her head back and her expression was warm and gentle.

"What do you mean?" Kara asked, puppyishly confused.

"Please forgive my gallows humor, but it some ways, Lex was right about the Supers defeating the Luthors."

The alarm that seeped in at Kara's edges was a stop and start thing, belayed by Lena's sappy, adoring expression.

"Isn't the best defeat of an enemy is to make them a friend?"

There was no way to ever get used to seeing that look of utter delight that dawned over Kara's face. Lena squealed and laughed as she was swept up in crushingly strong arms, her feet dangling.

"Thank you for being my friend, my best friend really, and maybe some time, my sister. Hopefully sooner than later, because Alex is really smitten."

"So am I."

Alex stood beside the platform and smiled at the cute sight before turning her happy expression to Bug. "You look pretty comfortable in there."

Her smile was infectious, delight pouring from every pore as she pet her new plushy friends. "I love them. It will be like having you and Lena close by even when you're not."

Leaning in, Alex pressed a kiss to Matilda's inky scalp and soaked up her joy. "I like that. This tiger can absolutely stand in for me when I'm not right by your side. And this is a very pretty leopard, just like Lena is."

A sudden shout of, "Kara!" made the blonde's head shoot up and she somehow managed to set Lena aside to catch a rocket of a tackle-hug from a lanky figure topped with a mop of curls.

"Carter?" Kara gasped in astonishment as the boy beamed up at her.

"Hi! Merry Christmas! I've missed you! We've been planning forever to come see you and Mom said this would be the perfect surprise. So surprise!"

"I'll be damned," Lena said, impressed, as Cat Grant herself strode in, the crowd parting around her notable presence. Already overwhelmed by her young friend's sudden presence and the emotional exchange with Lena, Kara felt the tears well up.

"Cat," she whispered and the older woman smiled faintly before walking over.

"Kara," she said back, almost as quietly and huffed with some small drama before actually joining in on the hug. For a long, breathless moment, Kara's grip was so rigid around them that Superman himself could not have pried them away from her.

"Jeez you're strong," Carter giggled a little breathlessly from the squeeze, but Kara had learned her lessons well and neither Grant were harmed.

"I can't believe you're here, that you're both here…"

"It was time," Cat said easily, with a serenity that Kara had never heard, before straightening up and her whole body language taking on a much more familiar sharpness. "I received an unexpected invitation through the friend of a friend."

As though summoned, Eliza appeared with a smile and Kara finally let Cat break away.

"It turns out your mother knows more politicians than I do," Cat smirked and Eliza grinned widely.

"Academia breaks a lot of boundaries," Eliza said smugly and waved for Alex to join them. "And it turns out that we all have a deeper connection than we all thought. You seem to be minus a piece of boisterous luggage, Grants."

Carter snickered and Cat playfully rolled her eyes. "Boisterous luggage is right. She's off using the facilities and should be making her grand entrance any moment now." Raising her voice, Cat called out towards the knot of friends on the raised deck. "Hey, Agent Scully, you might want to come over here for this."

Despite having hesitated when her mother had waved for her to join them, Alex was now too curious to resist. She dropped a little kiss onto Matilda's head. "I'll be right over there, okay?"

"Okay."

"I'll stay with her, Alex," J'onn offered gently and rested a hand on the stuffed leopard near Bug's encircling arm.

"Thanks, J'onn."

Even as Alex came to stand beside her family members, Carter lit up with delight at something by the door and stepped aside with a showman's flair. "Kara and Alex Danvers, we have brought you a special holiday delivery."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So wrote out the, "Isn't the best defeat of an enemy is to make them a friend?" scene ages ago, and LOOOOOVED it. Really, the theme is so poignant and obvious that I wanted to celebrate the joy that is this friendship.
> 
> Oh, and cliiiiiiiiiiiiiffhaaaaaaaanger! -evil laugh-


	16. Family Reunion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> But it wasn't the room that made the audience gasp in delighted shock, but the elderly woman sitting there, smiling from ear to ear.

Some sixth sense told Maggie to scrabble for her phone, which to her consternation, she realized she had left upstairs in Kara's apartment. "Susan!" she hissed at the other woman looked at her curiously. "Do you have your phone? And enough memory to video?"

Doubly curious now, Susan pulled the device out and thumbed at it quickly. She knew when to trust instincts, even those that weren't her own. Sure enough, even in profile and twenty-five feet away, the looks of shock on Alex and Kara's faces were priceless.

"Gramma!" the sisters yelped in stereo shock at the figure that stood dramatically framed in the doorway. She was an older woman who stood Alex's height and was still strong and upright save a cane clenched in her right hand. Her miraculously still-vibrant hair-- Alex had suspected careful application of dye for years-- and the bright brown eyes behind big horn-rimmed glasses had been passed down to the granddaughter she shared genes with. Her clothes were loose and wildly colored and she grinned a wide, warm grin that wreathed her aged face as beautifully as any string of Christmas lights.

"So I hear there was some ass kicking and getting your asses kicked at some underground extremist compound," was as much laugh as comment and she opened her arms wide to be gently smothered by the Danvers sisters, her grip on them strong, breathing them in. "I've missed you girls."

There was still that faint lilt to her speech that reflected her British mother, Alexandra, come to the new world on the heels of World War Two, madly in love with an American boy who had worshipped the ground she walked on. Even having never met them, Alex always felt like she had, living through her grandmother's stories. And like her mother before her, Sandy was larger than life: whip smart, opinionated and sassy as wide as the sea.

Leaning back, Sandy tenderly cupped the cheeks of her granddaughters-- one by blood and one by chance-- and her smile was luminous. "My beautiful cubs."

Overwhelmed with the surprise, Alex blurted out the first thing that fell out of her head. "Gramma, you're not supposed to be travelling!"

The old woman laughed and stepped into the room fully, hooking a granddaughter on each arm. "I'm not supposed to be drinking either, but just try and stop me, Junior. My quacking idiot of a doctor will probably scream at me. The horror. I live for the thought of seeing her face when she finds out I've been in California." Not giving the girls a chance to comment, she sighed dramatically, but her eyes danced with amusement. "I suppose I'll have to watch myself as I doubt everyone in the room knows, hmmm?"

Kara only giggled guiltily as though she were once more a desperately needy twelve year old, falling in love with her new family all over again.

Giving the girls a quick squeeze, Sandy shooed at them. "Well it is getting rather late for those of us on east coast time and I have a surprise. You girls might want to sit down with me for this."

Baffled and completely curious, the sisters did as they were told and headed for the couches to rejoin the others, Carter tucking himself into Kara's side to be half-hugged. Cat drifted along in their wake with Eliza's, tapping at her phone.

Utterly baffled at the craziness around her, Angie nonetheless noticed that she was far from the only one. Lena Luthor looked like she was about ready to either burst into stressed tears, or possibly run screaming from the room. And the lovely girlfriend had been imperiously dragged off by the grandmother with a personality bigger than all of them combined. There weren't a whole lot of people who could upstage Cat-freakin'-Grant crashing the party!

"Hey," Angie said quietly as she walked over, unsurprised when Lena jumped and whipped around, her eyes wide. 

"Oh, Angie, you startled me."

Her voice was high and tight, telegraphing her stress and confusion, something Angie would bet both kidneys didn't happen very often. Smiling reassuringly, Angie nodded and gestured at the deck. "So, I admit it, I'm curious as hell what's going on. Do you think I can tail along with you to find out?"

A gentle touch on her arm instantly drew Lena's fractured attention and Angie noted the reaction. Touch-starved, as anyone with a teaspoon of empathy could guess at with a family like the Luthors. So, she shifted to stand at Lena's side, just barely tucking her fingertips around her elbow. Just as she suspected Lena would do, her arm curled up and clamped those warm fingertips into her side.

Not knowing where else to go, they skirted behind the couch that contained the whole Danvers clan to stand with Jess where she sat near the heater unit. Curious as well, Matilda crept out and startled Lena a bit by hanging over her shoulder.

"You ready?" Cat asked as she came to stand at the foot of the tables, where the ends of the couches were closest together, a natural focal point. From the voluminous bag hanging on her shoulder came a narrow pair of half metal, half transparent tubes, one smaller than the other. With a flourish, she grabbed the cylinders and pulled them apart, revealing a transparent film that flickered with color and shape. It was about the size of a nice tabletop computer monitor and coalesced into a shot of an elegant sitting room straight out of history, complete with fancy Christmas tree and accompanying decorations. 

But it wasn't the room that made the audience gasp in delighted shock, but the elderly woman sitting there, smiling from ear to ear. 

"No fucking way," Alex breathed out and earned a chuckle from the device as well as her grandmother. But sure enough, there was the President, chillin' in socked feet, cradling a glass of wine and waving at the camera. 

"Hi everyone! Merry Christmas." Where there was no response, the audience too shocked for the moment, Olivia just continued, her voice mellow and merry. "Do thank Cat again for me, won't you? She graciously agreed to ferry this fancy doohickey to you, unlike your stubborn ass of a grandmother, girls."

Even as the kids gawked and Eliza stifled down a laugh, Sandy snorted inelegantly. "You're just sore that I managed to escape, despite your machinations, Livvy."

"You just sassed the President!" Kara squeaked, her blue eyes like saucers. "Can you do that?"

"Kara, child. Sweet, sweet child. I play cards with that woman and she cheats like a Hollywood movie gangster. Can match me in the drinking too. Oh, and your pal, Cat, there is almost as bad."

Cat merely shrugged unapologetically, joggling the screen for a moment, and her smirk was fond.

"I would have loaned them Air Force One, but I thought the taxpayers might be a little miffed," Olivia laughed. "And you still owe me for that last poker game, Sandy."

"Shark!"

"And you know it." Olivia's laughing smile gentled as did her voice. "Are you happy to be with your granddaughters? Worth the hassle Doctor Abby is going to give you?"

Beaming back and forth between Alex and Kara, Sandy nodded and her voice was soft and fond.

"Absolutely worth it."

After a sappy moment, Kara's eyebrows beetled thoughtfully and then her eyes shot comically wide.

"Waitaminute!" she yelped in a rush and her head whipped back and forth between her adopted grandmother and her erstwhile mentor. "You two know each other!"

While Sandy only smirked enigmatically, Cat chuckled along with Olivia still on the fancy screen. "We met at a White House function, maybe accidentally, maybe half-deliberately, these two won't come clean about that," Cat sassed and the older women in her trio both laughed. "I admit it, the name caught my ear, but that wasn't enough. It was something in the way she spoke, how she carries herself. So I struck up a conversation and imagine my surprise when I found out that she was indeed, one of those Danvers."

"Those Danvers!" Sandy mocked right back and cackled with delight. "You were the most fun I'd had at one of those boring-ass functions in years. Some of the insults you came up with were downright ruthless!"

Cat shrugged with no modesty at all. "Words are my superpower."

"And here we thought it was being irresistible," Olivia teased to a storm of stifled giggling from the group.

"Only to those who like hot women in positions of power."

The giggling rose to laughter at Kara pinking around the ears.

"You mean it wasn't the sass and the ass?" Sandy chimed in wickedly to the consternation of her relations and the hilarity of everyone else.

"And on that note," Olivia broke in with a chuckle as she sat up more attentively, "I'll let you get back to your party. Carter, my boy, remember that you promised you'd take good care of Sandy for me."

"Yes ma'am!" he called out happily where he'd settled on a chair behind the couch to keep track of his charge. Ever since meeting the older woman he'd been thrilled to have a grandmotherly figure who actually wanted to have him around.

"Have a nice holiday, ladies, and do try not to scandalize the kids too much," Olivia teased warmly as she saluted her friends with her wine glass and exchanged farewells with the group before leaning in to break the call on her end.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, originally, Sandy was going to show up at the hospital during Alex's initial recovery, but she would have been disruptive to the mood of the story at that point. So, you get to meet her this way instead! Some time ago, I made a Tumblr post about Margot Kidder would be a great casting for Gramma Danvers, as there is a strong passing resemblance to Chyler and Dean both, and it sticks with the theme of hiring people who played in past Super-related projects. That was really the dawn of Gramma Sandy.  
> Part of me really wanted to have Marsden along for the ride, but I couldn’t find the right fit. The video call was perfect. All the shock value and she doesn't have to become yet one more face in my Cast of Craziness'.  
> (from IMs) Shatterpath: ... oh dear… do you realize what we just did? We created GramDanvers as... Peggy Carter


	17. Dancing and Apologies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Both of them were scared, rattled by the reminder of how new and unexpected they really were, how recently out of the closet Alex was, how many steps they still had to take together and apart.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I have finally returned to my steady ol' computer and can begin to post once more! My sister is happily married and off in Hawaii enjoying her honeymoon and I am back to work on this lovely saga.
> 
> Once again, I owe Illogical a huge thank you for helping me with a pic for this chapter. I was just having NO luck with finding anything.

Amused by the mild dramatics of their powerful pal, Sandy and Cat chuckled, the later letting the fancy communication screen retract into its housing. Sensing that she had an opportunity, Kara patted her grandmother and slipped away from the couches to follow Cat as she walked away. That left Alex to face the piercing brown gaze she had inherited.

"Speaking of ladies, where are yours hiding?"

Using Lena as a climbing pole, Bug shifted her small mass from her hiding spot to the back of the couch, her gold eyes wide and curious where she crouched against the back of Alex's head. Reaching up, Alex ruffled the black hair and relished the way the child rubbed against her hand. 

"Hey, Bug, this is Sandy. She's my grandmother, just like Eliza will be your grandmother when we get all the paperwork done. Gran, this is Matilda. She chose the name herself. It's great, huh?"

"And you call her Bug," Sandy enthused quietly, seeing how nervous the little girl was. "Just like your father did with you. That's wonderful. I'm pleased to meet you, Matilda. Did you know that my name is Alexandra just like your new mom here?"

That finally made Bug raise her head up where she'd been just peering over Alex's hair. "Really?"

"It is indeed, as was my mother's. That's why I became Sandy when I was very young."

Perking up further, Matilda slithered down the back of the couch, skirting around the broken hand and curling up in Alex's lap. "So I could have Eliza's name?"

Sandy noted how sappily Alex looked at the child curled up on her, how loving her gentle embrace was. Craning her head back, Matilda smiled hesitantly, but was reassured by that open adoration.

"I like your name too, but maybe someday I'll have a little sister like you have Kara, and she can have your name?"

"Well, I better talk to Lena about that," Alex tried to sound lighthearted, but her voice was high and tight, echoed in her tense expression. "Uh, Gramma, this is my… my…"

For the life of her, the rational parts of Alex's brain had no idea what was causing the panic that welled up suddenly to choke her. Yet, she remembered this feeling all too well. Remembered telling Maggie all those months ago, "you might be right about me," remembered choking on a confession that ahs feared would tears her and Kara apart, remembered her mother asking after the women she talked about so avidly and the stuttered confessions, half strangled in the face of the possibility of rejection. 

And here she was again, face to face with the grandmother she idolized, and the struggle for honestly that she hadn't had to deal with in some time. It was a punch to the gut she didn't see coming, whiting out her senses and reflexes. She barely heard Lena almost rudely acknowledge Sandy's greeting before bolting.

"You keep hesitating over saying 'girlfriend' and you're going to be single again, Junior."

The gentle words jolted Alex, panic clawing at her throat from too damn many things.

"No! No, I love her to pieces, I'm just not used to telling, I mean, it's been awhile since I had to tell someone that didn't know."

"Didn't know what?"

Alex blanched and swallowed hard, once more seized with the terror of telling someone about the shift in sexuality. "Well… I…"

Before she could get too freaked out, Sandy twisted to grab her chin and give her a little shake. Her expression was both exasperated and adoring. "Didn't know? Alexandra the Umpteenth, you really had no one fooled. But I'm very glad you figured yourself out. I'm so very sorry I wasn't there for you. Jemima would have been proud. Oh honestly, Alex, you think you were the first one in love with a beautiful lady?"

Part of Alex wanted to gawk, but part of her realized that so many things made sense now. Of course her father's beloved Aunt Jemima, who had been more of a mother to him than the busy maniac who had birthed him, had been more than just a friend to said busy maniac. Of course.

"Speaking of beautiful ladies, yours seems to have made an escape. Go on then, Junior, I'm not going anywhere for a bit."

Torn for a moment, Alex's expression bloomed into a hopeful smile and she kissed her grandmother on the cheek and scrambled away to track down the woman she loved and once again had inadvertently hurt.

Heart in her throat, Alex caught up to Lena in the back corner of the room, nearly empty of foot traffic and mercifully providing them with some privacy. Before she could say a word, Lena whipped around, her bright gaze jerking from Alex's sad face and her reaching hand, frozen there in midair. 

"You hesitated in telling your grandmother."

The icy tone stung and Alex flinched. This was not her sweet love, but the defensive Luthor armor and she knew it. As happened so often in this relationship, Alex let everything out in a panicked, begging torrent of words. 

"No! Crap, Lena, not because of you, but because of me! I've been spoiled by having everyone know about me, and me and you, and suddenly there was someone I love and idolize who didn't know-- or at least I thought she didn't know, though I should have known better-- and I panicked!"

Both of them were scared, rattled by the reminder of how new and unexpected they really were, how recently out of the closet Alex was, how many steps they still had to take together and apart.

"I'm sorry," Alex whispered thickly. "I didn't mean to scare you."

Creeping into her embrace, Lena felt herself calming in holding and being held in turn. Breathing in Alex's smells and running her hands over that strong back and soft hair, Lena let her nerves settle, whispered out her own confession. "I'm sorry too. I overreacted and I ran, instead of staying and dealing with it. There's a part of me that will always expect rejection because of who I am. I forgot for a moment that you've more than earned my trust. I'm sorry."

For long moments they simply swayed together to the Christmas music floating over the space and let their rattled nerves settle. Finally, Lena pulled away enough to meet Alex's eye. "Okay, I think I'm ready for the next surprise guest on the 'Meet the Danvers' show."

"We do seem to keep getting sprung unexpectedly on you, don't we?"

"Including you and gunfire."

Alex thought it would be inappropriate in that moment to crack a dark joke about how she had first met Lena's mother while searching for the stolen kryptonite. Instead, she chuckled and pulled Lena in close to press gentle kisses to soft lower eyelids and let the salty moisture of tears wick away from blackened lashes. Inhaling shakily at the tenderness, Lena returned the sweet gesture and they met for slow, soft kisses. Giggling wetly, Lena rubbed her thumb under Alex's mouth. "I left my color on you."

"And I changed yours a little, I can tell. I sorta like that analogy."

"Yeah, me too."

Paused in her quest to track down Cat, Kara watched the two people dearest to her break apart and come back together once more. She was in awe of what they had built together, with no regard for what might be expected of them, of how they should behave. They made their own rules, their own strengths, shored up one another's weaknesses.

Kara could only hope to find even a pale shadow of what they had for herself.

"I have a nice red from California," M'gann was explaining as Kara finally finished her walk over to the bar. "Just a bit dry, with lots of deeper fruity notes and a smoky edge."

"That sounds lovely," Cat agreed easily. "Might I have a second glass as well, for my outrageous pal over there?"

Unable to stop herself, Kara said hesitantly, "but she's not supposed to be drinking…"

That look of affection mixed with 'you idiot' almost teared Kara up with the familiarity of it.

"Kara, your grandmother is a force of nature and if she wants to drink, she damn well will and we both know it. This way, at least it's not the hard stuff."

"Oh. Okay, good point."

The statement reassured M'gann as well and soon there were a pair of elegant glasses on the counter. A request also had a pair of sodapops in Kara's hands and they could head back to the group.

"I've really missed you… Cat."

The hesitant confession, the way Kara said her name as though it didn't quite fit in her mouth, all of that made Cat smile gently and tap her shoulder to Kara's arm. "I missed you too… Kara."

When handed the glass of red wine, Sandy merely raised a droll eyebrow that Cat pointedly ignored. Carter was happy with the soda Kara handed off, but startled when she suddenly squawked and carefully grabbed his wrist to look at the watch there. "Is that that time? Dang it, I have something time sensitive I have to do. Umm… I'll be right back!"

As she raced away, Carter just cocked his head curiously. "That was weird."

Sandy and Cat just exchanged affectionately exasperated looks.


	18. Strip Tease

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With a grace totally at odds to fuzzy Christmas socks and a tacky Santa suit, Lucy set to swaying, slowly peeling back the red and white to flash little glimpses of something wildly colorful beneath. The rest of them took up the theme, carrying on like drunken frat boys on spring break.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we come at last! I know there are some of you who have been waiting for Lucy's return. I laughed my way through much of this, because Lucy did not disappoint. (Yes, even on my habitual final reread before posting, I was still chuckling at many a moment in this chapter.)

There was only one person who could top Gramma Sandy's spectacular entrance.

Alex had only just led Lena back to the couches where they took up their original comfy positions, Lena at the armrest with Alex leaning up against her. As though sensing incoming shenanigans, Matilda quickly head-bonked her adults and scrambled for her corner fortress and her new kitty protectors.

"Okay, after a poor showing at introductions, let's try this again," Alex teased wryly. "Hey, Gramma, this is--"

There was a scuffle of sound and a small, chunky figure dressed in black-ops finery and sporting an oversized firearm, strode in… with Kara in a headlock.

For a brief moment, there was a jolt of pure menace in the room that was terrifying, every LEO in the room reacting, but none more so than Alex Danvers.

A menace that evaporated like a snowball in a blast furnace as, with a 'whuff' of sound, the weird gun erupted explosively… with tinsel. It sprayed everywhere, setting Angie's carefully draped lights to swinging wildly and silvery tendrils to rain down with the deck area as the eye of the storm.

"Where my ho, ho, hoes at?" Lucy's voice boomed out from the pudgy little demon in their midst, Kara and the silly gun dropping and the heavy black helmet coming off with a flourish that sent it rattling to the corner near a blinking Michael. Shaking out her hair, Lucy sauntered in as though nothing were amiss, even as the most observant among them caught her momentary falter and eye-widening as she caught sight of Cat and Sandy seated side by side with Alex and Lena. 

"Don't stop on our account," Sandy said dryly, her grin pure mischief and Cat just began clapping as Maggie choked on her erupting giggles. Lena joined her in the merriment while Jess of all people picked up on the clapping. 

By the time Lucy had stripped off the heavy black coat big enough for two of her to reveal a Santa suit, the crowd had picked up the clapping and upped the ante with whistling and cheering. With her black pants sagging onto oversized boots, Lucy still managed to get up on the sturdy table at the center of the gang-- who scrambled to save their food and drinks-- and posed like a supermodel.

"Merry Christmas, bitches!" She yelled merrily and tossed out a handful of mini candy canes from… somewhere. "Whoever's in charge of tunes, gimmie a 'Santa Baby', stat! Oh sit the hell down, Danvers," Lucy half threatened and Lena grabbed her girl to pull her back into a briefly-unwilling cuddle. "Your little sister is no longer my willing hostage."

"Semi-willing," Kara added sarcastically as she joined the group and squawked when Lucy threw herself bodily into those strong, fast arms, knocking the glasses cockeyed.

Sensing where this was going, James handed Winn his beer and reached out to grab oversized boots and strip them and the black pants off. That set off a new wave of crowd noise and Lucy squirmed to be set free, a flustered Kara managing not to dump her on her face.

"Tunes!" Lucy demanded and the others started taking up the chant until the deck shook with it. Having left the tablet controlling the wireless speakers positioned around the room in M'gann's care, Angie was at a loss of what the hell to do with this unexpected development. Like any good bartender, M'gann adapted and grabbed the first 'Santa Baby' that popped up on Spotify and the jazzy tune blasted out at much louder levels than the song it interrupted. 

With a grace totally at odds to fuzzy Christmas socks and a tacky Santa suit, Lucy set to swaying, slowly peeling back the red and white to flash little glimpses of something wildly colorful beneath. The rest of them took up the theme, carrying on like drunken frat boys on spring break. 

When Winn foolishly let his voice carry over the ruckus in a cliché, "take it off!" Lucy nailed him in the face with the Santa coat hard enough to rock him back, leaving her in a fun, warm sweater that fit right in with the rest of them and comically striped fleece pants in white and green.

"I picked up the most amazing Super-Uber that got me here in record time," Lucy said cheekily. "But I nearly froze my ornaments off!"

They all laughed appreciatively at the thinly-veiled comment that made Kara blush, but she didn't fight Cat pulling at her to sit down to wedge herself onto the overcrowded couch.

"That's not a striptease, you wuss," Susan mocked, enjoying the revelry even though it was loud and jostled her still-healing torso. That brought out Lucy's evilest grin and she grabbed the edge of the sweater and whipped it over her head with a speed that left her bob fluffy with static, despite the humidity. The t-shirt beneath was a match to the pants and had 'Elf you!' written across her tits along with a cartoon elf with middle finger extended.

"She's like a wildly inappropriate Energizer Bunny," Cat commented dryly where she sat sipping at her glass of wine and leaned away from the flung sweater that engulfed Kara's head like a hungry octopus. Spluttering, Kara pawed the thing off her, glasses askew again, and wished there was something within reach that would actually get her at least a little drunk.

As though conjured by her thoughts, J'onn appeared, his expression sardonic at the spectacle. Leaning over he spoke for Kara's ears only, "M'gann asked me to deliver this, since it would kill nearly anyone else in the room. You look like you need it."

To Kara's surprise and delight, it was an oversized shotglass made of crisp gingerbread lined in chocolate. And she remembered the fiery bite of Aldebaran rum that burned all the way down to her guts, pleasantly followed by a crunchy mouthful of cookie and chocolate. Fortified and flushing around her cheekbones, Kara sighed out gustily. 

"You're a lifesaver, Space Dad!"

Lucy's outrageous sexy dancing looked slightly ridiculous in what amounted to Christmas pajamas, but the woman could move, no one was going to argue that. The table didn't give her much runway space, but she milked every inch, reaching up to start pulling the white laces holding the shirt closed.

"Whoever's DJing, you are my new favorite!" Lucy squealed as something grindy came on and gave her something to really get raunchy to. With the laces pulled from their little holes just enough to reveal cleavage and a low-cut red tease, Lucy balanced carefully and extended a leg at Alex, wiggling her toes and making kissy faces. 

Alex could only groan, "oh my god, why am I friends with this asshole?" But she pulled off one then the other fuzzy sock anyway.

"I'm just glad we're not directly on the same command chain anymore," Susan chortled before laughing hard enough to hurt. Alex had noticed Lena squirming half underneath her, but hadn't thought anything of it until she saw a twenty dollar bill extended out.

"Finish up with the flare you know you want to and I'll make it a fifty!"

"This is why I like you, Best Luthor! You know a good time when you see it!" Lucy cackled and began inching down the fleece pants to the beat of the song with all the hip-shaking flare she could without breaking her neck. The hemline revealed was scandalously short and trimmed with gold bells that shimmered and tinkled once freed. To get the thing off, she shamelessly shook her ass at Winn and then kicked the striped fleece into Maggie's lap. "The t-shirt?" she taunted, twirling the laces in her fingers. "Is that what you want? Hmm?"

So they yelled and whistled in encouragement, Lucy soaking up the wild energy and teasingly pulling loose the laces until the shirt sagged open. Letting the fabric slip slowly down her arms revealed a spaghetti-strap red top that barely covered her assets and read 'Dear Santa, Define naughty', a wide strip of skin showing all around between the shirt and the outrageous holiday skirt. Instead of the head jolly old elf she'd started out as, she was all sexy femininity in holiday colors, a Mrs. Claus if she had been working for Hugh Hefner.

Smug as hell, she carefully placed dexterous toes into a couple of square inches of open space amidst Lena and Alex's thighs and leaned over to balance herself with a couple fingertips on the back of the couch. "Do I get the green, sugar mama?"

Lena cracked up and played it to the hilt, tucking the promised fifty into ample cleavage. Grinning fit to burst, Lucy stole a quick kiss to Alex's scalp and twisted away from the batting hand. 

Maggie was so caught up in the whole unexpected event that she startled when Lena reached out and grabbed her sleeve. "Hand!" she yelled over the noise and Maggie did as ordered, startled again when the original twenty was slapped into her palm. "Make it count!"

The movement caught Lucy's attention and she dropped to the floor to swivel around and park her ass on the arm of the recliner and sinuously twist. Before Maggie could so much as open her mouth to say something, she found herself with a lapful of Lucy Lane, smiling flirtatiously and half-dancing atop her. "It was boring at work, what can I say."


	19. Dramatic Flourish

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> She just flashed her teeth in a sharky grin before strutting off, yipping at the icy floor against her bare feet. Maggie could only stare, wondering exactly what she had gotten herself into…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kara's slightly drunken rambling was part of more IMs with Illogical and myself, both of us cracking up. The 'no one thought you were straight' convo has been an ongoing thread I still have more to say about, because sexuality is complicated!
> 
> And Carter's reaction to his mother's sass is a personal favorite of mine.

"And all this dead sober," Maggie managed to sass weakly, settling her hands on the strong thighs bracketing in her hips.

"For now, hell yes, this bitch is high on life. And the looks on your faces! Some things are truly priceless."

Batting her eyes playfully, Lucy leaned in close enough to set her elbows on Maggie's shoulders and walk teasing fingers over her dark scalp. Maggie could admit to the tickles of carnal interest that slithered down her spine to squirm in the small of her back. The slow grind over her thighs and belly weren't discouraging the reaction any either. Lucy's smile went knowing and she leaned in the last couple of inches to lick the tip of Maggie's nose. "So, you gonna cough up my tip, big spender?"

Doing her best to play along, Maggie pretended to think about it, shifting her left hand to rub the twenty between her fingers. "Well, that was a pretty good tease, but you've already gotten fifty from Luthor. And some pretty funny glowers from Danvers." She was getting into it now, bearing her teeth in a mean grin. "What makes me give up a free twenty?"

Oh how that got Lucy's competitive nature fired up again, green eyes narrowing. Despite the music really not working for the mood, she set up a filthy grind while still being careful to keep her weight across Maggie's thighs and not press into her torso or lower legs. Understandably, Maggie was losing track of the game, whatever the game was anymore. Half the others egged her on; the rest were just embarrassed. 

Finally, Lucy arched her body back until she could tuck her head alongside Maggie's cast and wink at the gang to their noisy amusement. Faced with that much bared midriff and sinuous muscle, what could Maggie do but tuck the twenty into the waistband of the skirt? If she stroked her fingertips over that straining bellymeat briefly, well, who could blame her?

Somehow, Lucy managed to slither off the end of the recliner's footrest, bracing her elbows and forearms on the deck, her head clamped awkwardly between them. With a graceful twist of that powerful, lithe frame, she ended up in a handstand for a long moment while she lined herself up, kicking out to cartwheel herself onto her feet. It was no easy feat with barely enough room to maneuver and a plethora of feet and knees to fit herself around, but she never touched a one of them.

After a stunned moment, the room erupted into applause. Reclaiming her impromptu stage, Lucy posed like an Olympic gymnast and blew kisses before hopping onto the arm of Maggie's recliner and giving her a scare by teetering momentarily. Catching her balance, she turned back to the group and straddled the space between the two big chairs before bowing dramatically and flashing her butch pals a good look at the crimson red spankies she was wearing under the tiny skirt. Susan was laughing hard enough to start to wheeze and Maggie was unsure she should ogle or not. Kyra was concerned, but nonetheless leaned back so that Lucy could step over Susan and drop gracefully to the floor to pose with a final dramatic flourish. 

"That was some pretty kinky holiday role-playing," Alex tried to sass and Lucy just cocked an arrogant eyebrow at her, unimpressed. 

"Don't kink shame me!" she all but yelled and preened at Alex's blush. "And there's nothing you can say here McFlusterson, because there is no way in hell Best Luthor didn't make promises about unwrapping you like a present. Not in that dress!"

Alex just blushed all the harder, Lena's teasing mouth behind her ear not helping at all. 

While Alex squirmed in Lena's embrace, James' laughter carried over the rest of the group just starting to quiet. "Maaaaaaaaaan, I've missed that Lucy. Nice job, babygirl!"

She just flashed her teeth in a sharky grin before strutting off, yipping at the icy floor against her bare feet. Maggie could only stare, wondering exactly what she had gotten herself into…

and what exactly she wanted to do about it.

"Well, this has been an unexpectedly interesting evening," Jess said suddenly into the somewhat exhausted lull that fell over the group. A storm of chuckles erupted in the wake of the words.

"Jess," Kara said with only slightly exaggerated weariness. "Many of us have known Lucy for some time and she's often unexpectedly interesting."

"That's one way of putting it," Alex snorted, but was clearly amused.

"You're just miffed that they keep teasing you," Lena mocked lightly and Alex's faint glare turned into a choke when Lena added, "the tiny fuckers."

The others cracked up at the sass, never knowing about the shopping trip earlier in the day that made Alex blush so dramatically. 

By some unspoken agreement, the entire gang of them fished a variety of bills out and tossed them on Lucy's stage where none of them were sure they could safely return their refreshments. When Winn said as much, James just shook his head. "Wait until she's actually sitting down and even then, stay alert."

"She really does get bored at work," Susan piped up, clearly tiring despite the early hour. "Too much energy for the job."

J'onn looked thoughtful at the sleepy honesty, but said nothing.

Taking advantage in the lull of the high energies, Cat twisted around to eye her son where he was trying not to laugh at the whole mad group of them. "Well I suppose you're getting an education."

Instantly, his expression went innocently 'who me?', looking so much like his mother that it triggered off more laughter.

"He might have gotten an education," Sandy snarked with a grin, "but I might drop dead of a heart attack."

Cat gave her a affectionate look and they clinked glasses. "There are worse ways to go!"

Kara could only gawk at them.

In remarkably short order, Lucy was back, balancing two laden plates atop a pair of highball glasses. The pile of money immediately had her cracking up. "Guess I better start my own charity, huh? Maybe for traumatized youth?" She affectionately hip-checked Carter as she strode past him. Maggie reached out to take the plates and set them on the little table beside her as Lucy plunked the glasses down to point accusingly at Alex. "Oh, and you, Agent Badass!" she ranted. "You went and got yourself collared and housebroken while I wasn't here! Not fucking fair, you asshole. Then you ran off to Hawaii and further ruined all my fun!" 

Startled, Alex blinked a moment before her natural sarcasm kicked in. "Sorry that my girlfriend's life in danger did all that."

There was an odd affection in their glaring, and Lucy barked out a laugh before turning her amused ire towards Kara, at the end of the other end of the couch. "And you! You didn't say anything about them being grossly in love! A disclaimer would have been nice!"

With a hearty shot of alien booze in her, filters were getting a little fuzzy and Kara flailed a hand at the couple in question, making Cat lean back with a look of amused annoyance. "I couldn't've warned you about that! My best friend and my sister! Ugh, so cute and beautiful!"

Smugly pleased, Lena smirked and nosed into Alex's hair and once again, the older sister flushed rosy. Kara was delighted and scandalized, as always.

"Oh my Rao, you guys are disgusting! Stop being so cute!"

Cat cut in with a bitingly dry tone, her eyes dancing with amusement at the shenanigans around her. "I spend years molding her and you two turn her into one hundred and forty characters or less."

At the heels of the riot of laughter that earned, Kara flailed more, her eyes bright. "They are so good and pure-- well not pure-- but uuuuughhh, so beautiful!"

"See, even Sunny D over there knows that you've always been catnip to the ladies, Danvers."

"Whatever, Lucille Ballsy," Alex scoffed and Lucy burst into outraged chatter before anyone else could do more than snerk.

"Seriously? Wait, you're not playing dumb are you? Oh for fuck sake! If I had a goddamn nickel for every double X chromosome that wanted your damn bod, I could buy the DEO."

A raised eyebrow accompanied Alex's doubtful expression and Susan felt the need to add in her two cents. "I'm with the tiny terror here. There were a lot of us that would have loved a shot with you once upon a time, and no one thought you were straight, Thing One."

"I think even Max Lordling was just desperately trying to bag you before you figured it out, the perv."

"Lucy!" Alex squawked, reeling a bit from everything being thrown at her all at once.

"He was reaching so hard," Lucy continued on blithely and Susan agreed with a sage nod.

"Des-per-ate."

"At least now you're with a tech CEO as hot as you are and just as smart and totally not slimy. Don't gimme that face Luthor, you are hot shit."

"Flattery will get you nowhere, Lucy," Lena fired back wryly.

"I'd totally tap that if I could." Lucy added nonchalantly and then gasped in mock outrage, "Did you just growl at me Danvers?!"

"I don't need two hands to beat you, tiny sassy!"

While Alex flailed half-heartedly at Lucy and she made mocking kissy faces, Jess just shook her head. Leaning in closer to where Lena was restraining her lover half in an embrace and half in warning not to overexert herself, she had to comment on the shenanigans. "I'm not sure if I'm charmed or terrified by your insane pack of mongrels."

Lena was suffused with exasperated affection for her girlfriend and this wider circle of friends. Stroking Alex's silky red hair, she nuzzled the warm strands and Jess could hear the smile in her tone. 

"They're armed and dangerous and a very specific brand of crazy, yet oddly charming."


	20. Gettin' Mouthy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With enough enthusiasm to rock the couch, Kara sprang up and dashed around the back of it to grab Lena in a headlock of a hug. Squashed by one sister and half-throttled by the other, there was no sign of any sort of dignity to her at all. Not that she minded. Not really.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cat seems appropriate to dub Lucy and Maggie, 'the vodka aunts'. She does so love nicknaming people
> 
> So, once again, I had trouble with a picture and went with something playful and cheeky. :)

While Alex and Lucy continued to needle one another, Sandy smiled at Kara where she remained half-slouched against Cat. "Kara, sweetie, since your sister has forgotten that she wasn't actually raised by wolves," everyone ignored Eliza's snort, "do you think you might introduce me to your friend?"

With enough enthusiasm to rock the couch, Kara sprang up and dashed around the back of it to grab Lena in a headlock of a hug. Squashed by one sister and half-throttled by the other, there was no sign of any sort of dignity to her at all. Not that she minded. Not really.

"Gently, Kara," all three elder Danvers warned and she instantly did as ordered, nuzzling Lena's dark scalp.

"Sorry, sorry. Maybe I shouldn't touch while I'm not sober?"

"You didn't break anything, Kara, I'm okay," Lena reassured her and patted those inhumanly powerful arms. If her eyes looked a little alarmed, no one pointed it out.

"So, Gram, this is Lena, my best friend, and she decided that this one was tolerable," Alex stuck her tongue out for that one. "And she's super smart and nice and a mechanical engineer and a physicist and super good at business stuff 'cause L-Corp is proof!"

"Smart and pretty," Sandy flattered and reached over Alex's half-sprawled body, approving of the firm handshake she received. "And you branched out from bio-engineering. Good, we need fresh blood in the line. Good catch, Junior."

With the startling ease of the most dreaded substitute teacher in the district to a class of eight year olds, a woman seemed to materialize at Eliza's elbow. That wasn't really the notable part-- after all it was a roomful of aliens and highly-trained super-agents-- but how the Danvers sisters froze like small children caught elbow-deep in the cookie jar. The nondescript woman leveled a flat look at the sisters for a moment before turning a pleasant smile on Eliza.

"Ah, so this is the famous Doctor Danvers! A pleasure. Pam Tucker, HR. I've been looking forward to meeting you for some time."

The look she fired at Alex in particular was a brain-bending mix of affectionately exasperated and an icy disdain that could have turned Mercury to Pluto.

"I'm sure Agent Trouble has merely forgotten to bring you by. Again. Oh, and do bring along Miss Luthor and your cute little Bug, won't you? It was Matilda, correct?"

Where Bug had been peeking over her new leopard friend, her dark head perked up. "That's me! That's my name!"

"And it is a lovely name too. Tomorrow I will help you make it official, okay? Your new grownup may be a headache, but rest assured that we'll all take good care of you. Would you also please bring along your twin cousins?"

"Cousins?" Bug asked curiously and Pam smiled gently at her.

"I promise we'll explain everything. You just enjoy your holiday and don't worry about a thing." Nodding around at the group, Pam said simply, "ladies, gentlemen, troublemakers," and walked away.

Amazingly, it was J'onn that snerked first, trying to cover the sound with a mouthful of cookie, and failing miserably.

"You're in troooouble," Lucy taunted in a sing-song voice, getting a glare from Alex.

"Oh like you haven't been hounded for shit you've pulled."

Arrogantly waving off Alex's grousing, Lucy was smug as a cat. "Danvers, I have never once come to the attention of Pam."

Alex stared in disbelief.

"Wait, that's not true. I had some transfer of authority paperwork when I moved up the DEO foodchain. But only the first time, because unlike some adorably obnoxious sisters," her disdainful look was scathing, "I fill out my paperwork properly and on time."

"Suck up," Alex sulked and Kara looked sheepish.

"Career military and a lawyer, lazy-ass civilian punk."

"At least you're both cute at it," Lena soothed to the sister's delight.

"Which one is Luthor actually dating?" Cat asked sarcastically as the brunette was squashed and loved on by the sisters like they were hyperactive large-breed dogs.

"The angry one," Eliza deadpanned as Alex went back to flailing impotently at a taunting Lucy, who had squirmed her small self in beside Maggie in the recliner. 

"Are you sure?"

Having sufficiently riled up Alex, who was getting soothed by her affectionately exasperated girlfriend, Lucy turned her attention to her own potential romantic entanglement.

"Where did you get these clothes?" she asked and picked at Maggie's sweater, wiggling her cold toes against the blanket art Bug had wound around the cast.

"Junior Danvers was being nice and loaned me some clothes, even if they make me feel like a dwarf. At least she let me keep my own underwear."

That made Alex glare and everyone else snicker.

"Pfft," Kara scoffed, "my underwear would be down around your knees."

There was a moment of stunned quiet as Kara turned red as a tomato and Maggie visibly bit down on any response. 

"Whoo hoo!" Lucy crowed in delight. "Sunny D, there's hope for you yet!"

The splutterings of amusement were half stifled, climbing to a racket of amusement as Kara grumbled, "you guys are a bad influence."

Their big, bad superhero slunk off to hunt down a consolation prize in the form of Michael handing over a large plate of potstickers.

"So Mags, does this mean you got in Kara's pants?"

Marveling at the chaos and getting concerned for the way Susan had clearly laughed herself to pain, Kyra still couldn't resist tossing a little sass into the ring. 

"I left Texas and one insane extended family, and tripped into another one."

"I heard about your Barbara Jean!" Lucy squealed with a sly look. "Like Kara on steroids."

"Well Kara is adorably lovable while Barbara is more annoyingly lovable," Reba chimed in even as the three gimps were whining for mercy from aching torsos. Lena's scathing glower at the smirking Lucy was thunderous.

"You are all supposed to be resting and recovering!"

"Babe," Alex gasped and curled her body more closely into her lover's, her feet nearly in Sandy's lap. "We can't help it that Lucy is a dick. Very funny, but still a dick."

"I do like a good dick; real, silicon, I'm not fussy." 

"Stop being such a shitty friend Lucy, I'm dying," Alex groaned around her stuttered laugh and Lucy rolled her eyes.

"Don't be such a drama queen."

"Not dramatic! Intense!"

"Dramatic." Lucy's scoff spoke volumes.

While the others groaned for mercy, Cat decided she needed to step in. "Kara? If you'd toss the louder of the vodka aunts over your shoulder, let's go wreak havoc elsewhere for a bit."

Kara grinned surprisingly wickedly and stalked over to the recliner where Lucy was realizing that she had no way to escape without jostling Maggie painfully. 

"Not fair!" she squealed in objection as, with effortless ease, Kara grabbed a flailing hand and hunched down to press a shoulder into Lucy's belly. With a roll of her shoulders, she had the smaller woman draped over them and stood up with no more effort than if she had picked up an empty plate.

Growling and squirming, Lucy couldn't get away from the grip on her wrist, the opposite arm clamped around her thighs. All she could do was slap ineffectually at Kara's ribs.

"Dammit, Kara!"

Smirking at the raucous laughter, Kara slipped around Jess where she still hovered at Lena's shoulder. Carter was chortling as Kara skirted him too, moving behind the couch to join a sardonic Cat.

"Give her a good slap on the ass, Little Danvers!" Maggie cackled, goading on the shenanigans.

"I might like it!"

"Lucy!" 

"I can take you!" 

Kara just rolled her eyes at Lucy's pointless struggles to be let free. "No, you really can't."

"Not fair!"

Cat calmly pulled out her phone to aim it at the spectacle of the two younger women and the flash was a bright light for a moment. "Now behave or I send that to Lois."

"You wouldn't dare!"

Obliging Maggie's jeering, Kara shifted her grip to smack Lucy on her upturned ass before ducking down to set her back on still-bare feet. Only to immediately grab her shoulders and march her across the room after Cat while the others howled in amusement. None more so than Maggie.

Catching his breath, James sprawled back and marveled, "like sticks of dynamite. Tiny and destructive." 

"And loud," Alex added wryly.

The firestorm of chuckles had a distinctively winded edge to it and James sighed deeply. "I never could keep up with her, no matter how I tried."

"Hey, opposites can work," Alex teased lightly and he waved her off with a grin.

"We can't all be so lucky, Tiger."

Hearing her petname coming from someone else flustered Alex yet again, but no one chuckled at her expense for once. "Still," she trailed off lamely, not at all certain what to say and James smiled gently.

"It's okay now. She really needed someone funner and better grounded than I ever was. And, yeah, Maggie, she really likes you. It's why she's showing off, the maniac."

Blinking in quiet surprise, Maggie absorbed the information she'd been given. James and Lucy had been something serious at one point. Did that bother her? Did it effect the squirmy, persistent attraction to the tiny firecracker whose laugh carried from across the large room as though she knew she was the center of attention even when away. Maggie really didn't want to add to the terribly damaging exclusivity of the 'gold-star lesbians' who would sneer at anyone who had anything to do with the male half of the species. It was unfair and immature and she was determined to be better than that.

"Well, we're glad you brought her to us," Susan interjected into the suddenly uncomfortable quiet. "Even if she can be a dick."

And just like that, they were all laughing once more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I looked and looked and looked, and could NOT find the original Tumblr post about Pam, the HR lady! If anyone has it, I'd love to see it again.


	21. Adoring Banter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The sleepy tease made Lena flash her teeth in adoration and challenge, her quick mind picking up the new game immediately.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have been DYING to use the amazing gifset made by @singinprincess made ages ago, and finally found a good spot for the little snippet I wrote based on it. Check it out here: http://singinprincess.tumblr.com/post/157445893044/falling-in-love-starts-with-who-the-fck-is

When Lena quietly asked if someone could grab her a couple of the big sitting pillows, the group sprang into action. James scooped big hands under Alex's aching torso and gently levered her up so that Winn and Jess could tuck a pillow under her, another strategically leaned up against Lena's shoulder to prop up Alex's head and she nestled into her girlfriend like a sleepy child.

"There's some blankets too," Angie volunteered and Kyra moved to grab those. While Sandy gently took off her granddaughter's shoes and covered up her bare legs, Kyra tended lovingly to her fiancé, already halfway to sleep. Maggie was squirming and exhausted as well, but clearly couldn't get comfortable.

"Here, let me help," Kara offered as she seemed to appear out of nowhere and flashed a smile at Angie as she loomed over Maggie. "Hey, Detective Deathwish, I raced upstairs and got your pills. Take one for me?" That earned a sleepy glare with about as much threat as a newborn puppy. Angie grabbed the glasses Lucy had brought over earlier, not smelling alcohol in either, while Kara grabbed the back of the recliner to pull it as far forward as it would go. Slowly, because the movement made Maggie groan. 

Working together with notable ease, Kara and Angie got one of the tiny painkillers in Maggie and Kara cradled the dark head in her hands while Angie carefully tucked a blanket around her ears to steady her head.

"What happened to them all?" Angie wondered out loud and cringed at being bluntly indiscrete. Her boss would kill her if she ever found out. Thankfully, Kara's soft smile reassured her. 

"Just like Gramma Sandy said, taking out an extremist compound. NCPD here and those two are FBI."

Whatever Angie might have expected, that wasn't it, and her expression said as much. "So she was serious?"

A flare of chuckles erupted, none more so than Sandy herself, and Kara gave her a wry look. "You can never tell with Gramma Sandy."

Where Lena was trapped just a few feet away from Kara and Angie, she fussed quietly over her lover.

"You should take it easy for a minute," Lena's soft concern was real as she stroked Alex's hair where the younger woman was sprawled across her lap. Grinning drunkenly, Alex reached up to twist a dark lock around her fingers.

"Nuh uh, Lee Nah-I-don't-think-so."

The sleepy tease made Lena flash her teeth in adoration and challenge, her quick mind picking up the new game immediately. 

"Uh huh, Alexandra the great-she's-at-it-again."

Alex's nose wrinkled up as she giggled and thought hard even as she was half-asleep. The sudden quiet had Bug finally poking her head up, slithering to the floor to pad over to her grownups. After quick caresses from the pair, Bug was okay with accepting the offer of a quiet lap with Sandy.

"Don't cry for me, oh my Lena," Alex sang sweetly to the tune from Evita and basked in her lover's delight.

"My cheesy Al-fredo."

Maggie made an obliging gagging noise and snorted at them, even as she never opened her eyes. Kara echoed it even as she drank up the couple's loving smiles to one another.

"Alex makes the heart grow fonder."

"Lena, my gorgeous bambina!"

Lena thought hard and was impressed with herself for coming up with, "Oooo, nice alexecution."

By that time, the others had caught onto the quiet byplay, laughing quietly along even as the loving couple ignored them. Sleepy, but game for the challenge, Alex pursed her mouth thoughtfully, only partially distracted by Lena's gentle caressing of her face. Then she grinned wickedly and raised her hand to press the back of it to her forehead and swoon dramatically. 

"A deadly blow from the Luthario(1) who stole my heart!"

Blinking in impressed shock, Lena couldn't stop her delighted laugh. "Did you just make that up on the spot, you nerd? Well done! I concede defeat, darling."

Alex just snorted a laugh and nosed into her neck, beyond caring about their audience and the public nature of the setting. All she needed was the warmth and safety of her misunderstood girlfriend. Lena cradled her head and upper torso close, the broken hand cuddled in the middle of their mingled warmth.

Eliza couldn't help but marvel that this was her stoic eldest, open and playful and so loving with this utterly unexpected partner she had found somehow. She couldn't be more delighted that she had found an equal in smarts and sass and even in the heavy shadows that weighed down both. She jumped a little as Kara set a warm hand on her shoulder and they regarded their loved one as the lines of her body eased into the heaviness of sleep. Lena remained wrapped around her, petting and comforting and utterly adoring.

It was all any of them had ever wanted for Alex, and now Lena too.

Lucy had managed to creep back to the group, quiet and tentative as a church mouse. She took up Angie's abandoned chair and reached out towards Maggie, but hesitated. 

"Jus' need a twenty minute recess, counselor," Maggie slurred softly and Lucy snorted quietly and finished her aborted gesture, petting back wild strands of dark hair.

"The defense rests." 

Sleepy brown eyes slit open and the detective grinned sloppily. "Hey, hot mess."

"At least I'm a fun hot mess. Like a train wreck full of pizza, fireworks and glitter."

Giggling, Maggie squirmed a little a flung out her closer arm. "C'mere you. We need cuddles."

With none of her earlier exuberance, Lucy gratefully accepted the offer and snuggled her smaller frame into Maggie's side, her warmth soothing the long scab that tugged at her skin. They remained unaware of how they echoed the cuddle of long-established couple in the other recliner, Susan relaxed in Kyra's embrace.

"So I've heard eeeeeeendless tales of how Badass and her hot redhead came to be," Lucy suddenly chimed up quietly. "But I'm damn curious about you and Alex there."

Lena could hardly blame her fellow green-eyes for the curiosity. Even now, she could hardly believe all that happened.

"How did it start? A name, and the lack of one."

The others were confused, but stayed quiet and relaxed to encourage her. Where she had once more dozed off in Lena's lap, Alex was peaceful and still, her cheek turned into upper chest, drawn to the sound of her love's heartbeat and the familiar softness of her.

"It was the day of the company renaming and in the chaos, I found myself face to face with a gun. I really thought that was it for me, that all my second chances had run out. And she rushed out of nowhere, pulled his arm down so the shot went wild, not protecting just me, but everyone within range. I lost them in the chaos, finally stumbling over a fallen pistol. The assassin had gotten Alex in a chokehold, another gun to her head, Supergirl hesitating, her expression terrified."

Lena paused a moment to stroke Alex's forehead and cheek, her expression adoring.

"It wasn't until later, after Kara and I had gotten closer and I came here to her loft to see if she could help me get in touch with Supergirl, that we met again. I remember how startled I felt, recognizing her face, flooded with the fear of that day. I think I said something inane like, 'don't I know you?', it's hazy now. But I remember that wary little quirk of smile because I don't see it very often."

Smiling a little self-consciously at her audience, Lena's sappy tone became a little crisper, even as her hand never paused in its gentle petting.

"Anyway, we bristled at one another a little for a few seconds, but Kara was a diplomat and made introductions and we moved on. It wasn't until my few game nights that I saw how warm and smart and funny she was."

Ducking in to press a gentle kiss to Alex's forehead, Lena's smile was luminous.

"The rest, as they say, is history."

"Figures," Lucy said into the lull, her tone entirely fond. "Falling in love starts with 'who the fuck is this?'"

 

(1)= From Wikipedia: Lothario is a male given name which came to suggest an unscrupulous seducer of women in The Impertinent Curious Man, a metastory in Don Quixote. (PS: YES, this one was ALL MINE! MWAHAHAHAHHAHA!)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alex and Lena playing with one another's names goes way, waaaaaaaaay back in this project. Half of them were off-the-cuff and the rest came from internet sites that give you rhymes. 'Inertial Danvers' is my personal favorite. :)
> 
> Thank you Tumblr for: "At least I'm a fun hot mess. Like a train wreck full of pizza, fireworks and glitter."


	22. Wild Stories

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There were times when it was very difficult to tell exactly where Lena was going with something and this was one of those times. Kara studied the almost too-innocent green eyes and tried to puzzle her out. Was she trolling them?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Why, yes, I AM going to use Angie to troll all of you in this chapter! MWAHAHAHAHA! Yes I DID do the thing! Because I CAN!

In the lull that had fallen over the group after Lena's sweetness and Lucy's sass, Sandy suddenly spoke up, her tone brisk, but gentle. "Now, Matilda, my child, you haven't heard any of my stories at all. We'll have to remedy that immediately."

Intrigued by the promise of a story, Bug perked up and gave the old woman her full attention.

"Ah, I have just the one. Picture if you will, a land of hot sand and skies so bright and cloudless they seemed like a flat blue iron."

With her animated voice pitched at just the right level to be heard around the cluster of comfortable furniture without bulldozing any side conversations, Sandy wove a complicated tale. Somehow it involved some undisclosed Middle Eastern location, sixteen camel spiders, a semi-truck sized water tank, three Jeeps, two tents and a tripwire.

They all assumed it was some sort of elaborate tall tale, but frankly, none of them cared.

Angie had been caught up, but instead found herself eyeing her new not-quite-a-pal. The intense regard caught Kara's attention, her lopsided smile warm. "What is it?"

"So let me see if I've got all this, junior Catco reporter. Extremist compound, FBI, NCPD, a call from the president, the wild gypsy grandmother I'm not entirely certain isn't actually Peggy Carter in disguise, the Queen of All Media who referenced a 'Lois' in conjunction with your pal whose name is Lucy Lane, an adorable kid with a tail, and an alien chef talented enough that nothing else is ever going to taste as good as those little pumpkin pie dumplings in particular."

"Yeah, those were good ones," Kara said dreamily. "The braised beef was even better."

"I'll have to take your word for it. I'm a lousy Catholic, but at least during the holy season, I can try. No meat for me on Christmas Eve. It's an Italian thing. And the chef's cooking made being a vegesaurus for one night no hardship at all." That smile was pure mischievous enticement. "So did I miss any clues?"

Kara had a sudden insane urge to tell the charming woman the truth about the heavy suit of blue and red that hid beneath her normal clothing. All of her instincts told her that Angie could be trusted, but she forced herself to keep her secret and shake her head. "That's it, more or less."

Now Mama Martinelli did not raise a fool, but Angie could respect Kara's holding back. After all, they were still strangers, and besides, respect ran both ways. So she smiled again, slow and flirty, enjoying watching those summer-blue eyes flicker expressively.

"You run with a fascinating crowd, Kara Danvers. And that's not even mentioning your best friend over there."

Lena smiled where she was gently fussing over a drowsy Alex, who was slowly stirring to life. She might not ever get used to being just 'Kara's best friend' or 'Alex's girlfriend' and she never wanted to. After what her family members had done, every scrap of acceptance was a gift.

Sandy was reaching the climax of her wild tale now, concentrating her attentions on the most enamored of her audience, Matilda and Jess. 

"And then, with a muted boom," she flashed open fingers at the small child like an explosion, "the water tank went and the Jeeps pinned down all but the lead vehicle and the tents leapt upward like angry jellyfish! That fellow took off so fast he left a trail of dust behind him, never to be seen again."

Giggling in delight, Bug asked, "but what happened to the spiders?"

Shuddering delicately, Sandy tapped her nose with affection. "Well, that story will just have to wait for another day."

The gang cheered the tale, jerking Alex fully awake and stirring Susan back to life.

"Is this the one with the water tank?" Alex asked blurrily as she half rolled onto her back and groaned at the stiffness. With a grip on the sling, Lena kept the broken hand from slipping to dangle painfully. "Didja tell her about the spiders?"

"Tomorrow. After all, I have to keep my audience interested! Now, this old lady needs a restroom and to stretch her legs. Will you be my guide, Matilda?"

Delighted with the task, Bug jumped up and led Sandy away by the hand.

"I think we may have finally found someone that might just poach me away from you," Jess teased and Lena looked startled for a moment before bursting out into peals of laughter.

"Was someone just talking about jellyfish?" Susan asked sleepily and caused a riot of chuckles. "That's where all your bad habits come from, right? She's a riot."

"That is totally you in thirty years, Danvers," Maggie added in, not much more awake.

Alex only snorted in agreement.

Where they'd moved to sit at the narrow end of the 'V' of couches, Angie gave an amused Kara a squinty-eyed look. "Are you completely sure your Gram isn't Peggy Carter?"

With the blanket on her legs saving her modesty in the dress, Alex managed to squirm fully on to her back and stretch her legs out until she bumped up against Cat. 

"No, but my great grandmother might as well have been," Alex said thoughtfully. "British war bride back in World War Two and an utter badass from the stories. Gramma Sandy is the only child of four that survived to adulthood and she always said it was due to the name, which I love. I remember how she used to rant at Dad for having the nerve to be a boy. It was pretty funny."

The shadows that were never far from Alex when she thought about her father, gathered in her eyes for a moment, soothed by her loved ones close.

"Name?" Lena prompted gently and Alex forced herself to shake off her melancholy as best she could.

"The Alexandra name." Hearing her loved ones returning, Alex curled her legs up and offered open arms that Bug immediately accepted. With a tired sigh the child snuggled down to be soothed by her hero's strong, steady heart. "I'm starting to wonder if you're not right, Gram, about it being a two-edged sword. We're survivors sure, but we really are chaos magnets."

Eliza chuckled along with Sandy as the older woman settled back into her seat. "We are a challenge to fate, junior, and it likes to test us for how strong we are. So we kick ass on the regular."

To a storm of chuckles, Alex held up her good hand for a gentle high-five with her grandmother. Then she pet Bug's head and pressed a sweet kiss to Lena's chin. Eager to go back to a more pleasant subject, Alex speculated thoughtfully, "and why didn't Marvel make an Agent Carter show? I mean come on, who wasn't curious about her history?"

"Right?" Angie enthused. "Because she ends up in the States somehow, and creates Shield!"

"Exactly! You shut up, Winn. Just 'cause you're a cliché boy about Iron Man's toys."

"Hey, Tony has the best toys!"

"Pfft, whatever," Alex scoffed and groaned as she sat up to press a kiss to Lena's cheek, Bug squirming around to reposition herself. "My Lena can do better. And you too, I suppose."

Obligingly flustered with the affectionate compliment, Lena only half-heartedly deflected. "With this group, toys could mean anything."

While the others laughed and got into a ridiculous argument about which Avenger was better, Kara just rolled her eyes. "Careful. If Alex finds out you might not a Captain America fan, the romance is over."

The warning wasn't a serious one and it made Lena grin at her pal. "Like the comic books?"

"Yes, but especially the movie."

"There was a movie?"

There were times when it was very difficult to tell exactly where Lena was going with something and this was one of those times. Kara studied the almost too-innocent green eyes and tried to puzzle her out. Was she trolling them?

Then Lena's expression cleared to engaging cheerfulness. "Oh wait, that's the movie franchise with Chris Evans, yes? Nice man. An excellent date."

A shocked silence fell over the group and her smirk was a thing of beauty.

"It's not like that, you perverts. He was in Metropolis promoting that first Captain America movie alongside his costars. I bumped into him and Hayley Atwell both after the red carpet event and we all got to talking. It became an all-nighter in a non-pervy way."

Enjoying having floored the whole boisterous gang of them, Lena was encouraged by Sandy's faint snerk of amusement.

"Chris can get up some real speed in socks over a hardwood floor. And yes, we had been drinking. I couldn't match his mass, but then again, I didn't smack into the wall hard enough to crack it either."

"Are you messing with us?" Winn scoffed and gave her a raspberry at her 'who me' face.

Before anyone could comment at the story, Cat chimed in with a shrug, "it's a fairly well-known fact that he becomes buddies with all his women co-stars. So why not you?"

"That was back in twenty-twelve before…" 

No one needed a clarification of why her voice trailed off and her expression went stark and hurt.

Before Lex went insane and drenched her last name in blood and fear.

With a concentrated effort, Lena shook it off, determined not to ruin Christmas. She forced cheerfulness into her voice, no matter that the shakiness wasn't quite covered up.

"I'm embarrassed to admit that Hayley kicked both our asses at poker and out-drank even Chris who out-massed her by quite a lot. But she fell asleep and missed the sock races, so there's that." 

"I'm not sure who I'm more jealous about," Alex mused. "Because until just a few months ago, I would have jumped Evans in a heartbeat. Now, I suppose I'd have to say that about Atwell instead."

That got the group laugh she was after, taking everyone's attention off of Lena so that she could compose herself. Once again ever so grateful for her adaptable lover, Lena pressed her face into the fall of silky reddish hair.

"Love you," she murmured and was unsurprised that Alex turned her head to rub their cheeks together and quietly return the endearment. Then she chuckled softly.

"Love you too, but I'm still jealous."

"They're just very pretty people with a very weird, high profile job. If I ever get to cross paths with them again and don't invite you along, then you can get jealous."

Alex's belly laugh carried far in the big room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The sock races are a direct homage to the wonderful Hayley Atwell. I was so amused with her stories about Chris that I incorporated them here. I am deathly allergic to Real Person fic, but the way that Cat used celeb/pop culture references in season one was so awesome that I had to homage that here. And wouldn't it be nice for some of Lena's old friends to still like her despite all that happened with her brother?


	23. Under the Mistletoe

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lucy's belly laugh made Alex look over to see Cat standing to point at her and grin. The older woman curled that finger beckoningly and-- curious despite her faint misgivings over what would surely be shenanigans-- Alex excused herself and strode over.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The more I write for Bug, the more I adore her. The little charmer.  
> So, the shenanigans with Cat? That was written weeks and weeks ago and found its place here, once more at the behest of Lucy, the chaos monster. And there is no way Cat wasn't going to play along!

The gang raised their drinks in a toast to the story and Winn spoke up cheerfully. "So I noticed a distinct lack of mistletoe."

"I didn't want to presume," Angie shrugged, easily rolling with the change in subject. "But I'm happy to oblige. Hey, Kara, your little pal there did a nice job with the ornaments, do you think you might ask her to give us a hand?"

"Would you like to help, Tilly?"

Shaking off being half-asleep on Alex's torso, Matilda nodded and slithered away from the loose embrace and stretched like a cat. From a little box she has stashed close by, Angie produced a sprig of mistletoe and some string while Matilda climbed Kara like a ladder to once more kneel on her shoulders and be held securely there.

That left the little tuft of greenery right over Kara's head and Angie couldn't resist leaning in to press a kiss to her cheek. And if the kiss landed more on the corner of that pink-painted mouth? Well, Kara's blush was too adorable to pass up.

"Do you want one too?" Angie asked when she noticed how avidly Matilda watched the interactions. After a moment, she leaned down and tilted her head so that Angie could obligingly brush the tiniest of kisses over her round cheek.

"Not mouth kisses like Alex and Lena?" Bug wondered and Angie refrained from chuckling at Kara turning even redder.

"Those are usually reserved for couples," Angie said with a casual shrug. Probing questions from youngsters hardly fazed her, coming from a big, noisy family. "It's more intimate."

"Ooh," Bug marveled and absorbed that little bit of new information.

"And it's probably a good idea to ask first, y'know?"

Bug beamed and nodded with enthusiasm. In just a week of freedom, she had already learned that asking first was a sign of respect, something she had been afforded little of in her young life.

"You're as pretty together as my grownups are," Bug speculated as she slid sinuously down Kara's back to hang from her neck like a cape. "You should ask, Auntie, and then you could maybe have those special kisses." Then her voice grew soft and she clung hard enough that a Human probably should have been asking for gentleness, but Kara was too flustered to notice. "Can I call you that?"

"Auntie?" Kara voice cracked. "Of course you can. You're family in all but paperwork now."

Like a little warm backpack, Matilda clung tight and returned Kara rubbing their heads together in affection while Angie watched kindly.

"Gramma," Alex admonished with a quiet laugh as Sandy lowered her phone from taking pictures of a flustered Kara and her potential paramour. The innocent look would have been more convincing had she not grinned wickedly. "I'm really glad you're here."

"As am I, Junior," Sandy replied with just as much sappy adoration. "I'm really glad you found her," she said with a quiet, loving intensity at odds to her larger-than-life theatrics thus far. "Like your mother, all I ever wanted for you was happiness." The smile went a little wry. "Though the theatrics of the 'who' is right up our alley, eh, Junior? Don't flinch so, Lena, you have plenty of allies and more to come now that you're proving to the best parts of your family. Thank god Lillian wasn't actually your mother. Lionel, for all his faults, at least was never that much of a dickhead. Much better genes there."

Lena's baffled expression made Sandy pause.

"Ah. I'll tell you what, child, let's put this train of thought into the station for now, shall we? When there is some time and privacy, we'll talk."

Before Alex's curiosity could manifest in a question, Sandy affectionately slapped her leg and her tone became brisk.

"Now before this old woman falls asleep from the time difference, I'd like a chance to mingle a bit. Might I borrow her for a bit, Lena?"

"You break her, you bought her," Lena teased and waved them off after stealing a kiss from Alex's wry smile. She refused to dwell on Sandy's words, forcing herself to trust once more.

"Dearie, when will you accept that I know everything?" Sandy was sassing as she walked away on Alex's arm. Her shaking her cane at J'onn like an outraged cartoon character earned a smattering of amusement, amped up by her next words. "Except you, J'onn J'onzz! I still owe you a smack with this cane for fooling me for so long. And thank you for taking good care of Junior here."

"My pleasure, ma'am."

"Ma'am," Sandy scoffed and vanished into the crowd to the sound of Alex's laugh.

The calm lull that fell in the wake of their departure should have had the gang on alert. Though it lasted longer than anyone would have expected.

"Y'know, I just realized something very interesting," Lucy mused in a bland enough voice that everyone really, really should have been on alert. "If Alex's coming out had happened say, last year? And this same scenario had played out? It could have been you, Cat."

Kara's head snapped over fast enough to look painful, her expression agog, while the others could only blink.

Utterly smugly pleased with herself, Lucy couldn't resist adding, "just an interesting note."

"So… basically whatever powerful woman Kara is friends with," Susan was slightly horrified to hear herself say. "That just makes me wonder if Alex has a type."

"Coincidence," Maggie scoffed and Lucy jumped back in.

"More like Kara is the inadvertent wingman."

Still aghast at the teasing, Kara was trying to formulate words, but Kyra jumped in with a laugh. "Accidentally the best wingman ever."

"I think Alex just needs someone who she can be an equal to and who will push her," Maggie tried to defend, even as Lucy raised her voice up to a level that would be hard to ignore. In Iceland.

"Hey, Alex, have you actually met my friend?"

Guilty laughter broke out even as Kara nearly choked and Cat glowered with a distinctly affectionate edge. It did nothing to cow Lucy, who was clearly immeasurably pleased with herself.

"Luuuuucy," Kara whined. "That's my big sister you creep! And my mentor! I should let my best friend at you. I really should."

It did nothing to deter Lucy's merriment and Cat couldn't resist getting in a dig while she could. As deadpan as her namesake, she looked over where Alex was chatting easily with her grandmother and Reba, looking impossibly gorgeous and elegant for someone who had been half dead a week ago. Even the ugly sling couldn't detract from the whole package.

"She does seem like fun."

Kara just gaped.

Lucy's belly laugh made Alex look over to see Cat standing to point at her and grin. The older woman curled that finger beckoningly and-- curious despite her faint misgivings over what would surely be shenanigans-- Alex excused herself and strode over.

"You rang?" Alex asked wryly when she met Cat near where Kara and Angie still stood, Bug watching the goings on with avid gold eyes. Alex stiffened and her brows beetled together as Cat very carefully touched her elbow to stretch up and give her a little closed-mouth kiss.

The assembly of friends lost their collective shit.

"Mistletoe," Cat explained dryly and Alex only chuckled.

"Definitely not my worst offer," Alex played along and Cat looked mock-offended.

"But you said those are only for couples," Bug questioned and the laughter got even more raucous. Kara sighed a sigh of the extremely put-upon and hooked one arm under the tiring child and gestured at the guilty parties with the other hand.

"Angie did say that those kisses are usually reserved for couples. Crazy people like Lucy don't like rules. And you didn't hear it from me, but Cat likes to make her own."

Far from offended, Cat merely patted Matilda and Kara both before pecking them on the cheeks and strutting away. Again, Lena was struck with an adrenaline rush of jealousy that immediately faded away in how completely uncaring Alex was over the attentions of a gorgeous alpha female not known for her subtleties. 

Though she did lean forward to smack Lucy on the shin hard enough to make her jump before standing up and stalking over to claim what was hers. Alex grinned dopily before she was wrapped up in a hug and kissed hotly. The gang roared in approval.

"Mine," Lena growled half-jokingly and soaked up the sexy gleam in her Tiger's eye as she nipped and suckled at that enticing lower lip.

"Yours," Alex breathed out happily before the lusty kiss was returned. "Mine."

"Yours," Lena whispered, never so happy to capitulate to another.

Kara had mostly turned away, as embarrassed as she was thrilled for them, but paused when Bug leaned over her head, expression curious and full of mischief. "Grownups are weird."

Kara only chuckled and gave her a little squeeze.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (more IM peeks into Shatterpath and theillogicalthinker's mental processes. Mental being the key word, eh?)  
> Shatterpath: well that was unexpected… Bug just wingmanned for Kara  
> theillogicalthinker: OMG YES, HOOK YOUR AUNTY UP TILLY. Smooth bug. I hope kara turns into a tomato. And starts choking on a potsticker  
> Shatterpath: if she were eating, she totally would. But tomato red is SO taken care of  
> theillogicalthinker: I hope someone was taking pictures. Namely eliza. Or sandy if she's around. I feel like sandy likes to have blackmail material on hand at all times  
> Shatterpath: Lucy DESPERATELY wants to be adopted by Gramma Sandy.


	24. Restful Together

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With the motley gang lulled to comfort and ease by the presence of friends and family, quiet fell over the loft, broken only by their combined breathing, the thrum of the city outside and the steady patter of rain at the windows.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And we have arrived at the end of another part of our journey my lovlies! As will be obvious by the ending, there is indeed more, though it is very rough and unfinished at the moment. Summer has been tough to write in, but I continue to make slow progress. Keep an eye out for me!

As though Bug's growing sleepiness were a catalyst, the rest of the group found themselves winding down. She wandered around to each of the adults she had bonded to, happy to collect kisses and cuddles. At the end of her circuit, she curled up in Lena's lap, Alex snuggled up to both of them.

"This was a lovely evening," Cat said quietly into the exhausted lull that fell over the group. "Worth the cross-country flight."

"Thank you for bringing our grandmother to us, Cat, that was a heck of a nice gift," Alex said with a warm smile.

"You're quite welcome. Now," the suddenly crisp tone had both Carter and Kara shaking off their sleepies. "While this has been fun, I need to figure out a way home."

"You could stay," Alex spoke up again, then grinned wryly. "Though I suppose we're running low on beds at this point. Hey, Angie, we're stealing the couches for a day or two!"

Chuckling, Angie gestured magnanimously to the big leather couches. "Steal away. I'll get you the last of the blankets too. And take the pillows. Those are all bought and paid for."

"Are you certain, Junior? Do you really want three more people underfoot?"

In response to Sandy, Winn piped up, ticking points off on his fingers. "We have five beds, four couches, two recliners and I'm not giving up my cot."

"I'm not getting out of this thing," Maggie murmured, not much more awake than Lucy, who barely managed a smile. "Just leave us here and lock up. Sandy, you can take my bed."

"Thank you, Maggie, that's appreciated. And it is three in the morning for us," Sandy teased coaxingly and Cat made a face before relenting.

"Fine. Why not end the day on a Christmas slumber party. No one would ever believe it."

James and Alex jumped up to pounce on Lucy, who squawked in outrage at being unceremoniously scooped up from her warm, comfy spot. "You need warmer clothes to sleep in anyway," James teased her. "Go scrounge up your stripper gear and we'll get your girl."

Sulking, she did as ordered while Maggie stretched as best she could and prepared to make her painstaking way out of the recliner.

"Stay. Hey, come on, gang, give me a hand with this."

They rallied and Maggie made an undignified 'meep' as she was raised up and jostled off to the freight elevator to wait with an amused Lena and her armload of very sleep Matilda. The couches came next, and Susan's empty recliner, before everyone piled in but Kara.

"I'll lock up and be right up."

The Christmas-decorated room seemed smaller somehow with the last revelers having left along with the comfy furniture from the deck. Michael actually quirked a small smile at Kara when she returned, looking far more sleepy and slow than one would expect out of a nearly invulnerable Kryptonian.

"This was an enjoyable little event," the chef said sincerely, her flat yellow eyes warm. "I was a high-profile power hitter for so long that I had forgotten how nice it was to work more one on one like this." The softening of the aloof woman warmed Kara, as did the first small quirk of smile she had ever seen on her serious face. By the way M'gann looked oddly at her, it might have been the first smile she'd ever seen as well. "I take it you'll finish the leftovers?"

The little tease made Kara chuckle. "With pleasure. But not right now. I think the drink still has me woozy."

"Not a problem. I'll leave them in the portable food handling unit I brought along. We'll come collect our things tomorrow so that you can get to sleep."

"Thank you both so much. It would have been a lousy party without you."

An actual smile ghosted across M'gann's face. "Oh, I don't know about that. I was listening to your family and friends and they seem like they would have been a good time even hungry and dry."

With their quiet farewells, Kara suddenly found herself alone with Angie, busily shutting down lights and electric fireplaces.

"You're sure it's all right to leave all of this here? I'm not used to that." Angie fretted and startled when she suddenly found Kara close. That soft, almost dopey smile was as sweet as honey mead and twice as intoxicating. 

"You could stay too, if you'd like."

And for a heavy moment, Angie was so tempted. But she really shouldn't and she knew it. Still, the disappointed look on that sweet face was going to be a killer. "Maybe when I'm not on the clock?"

Kara was indeed disappointed and her expression showed it, but she was amused by the stab at humor as well.

"Okay, that's fair. Still, if you ever want some company, consider you've got a standing offer to stop by." The sweet, slightly incoherent offer warmed Angie completely, as did Kara's light blush. "I mean…"

"Thank you, Kara. It's the nicest offer I've gotten in a long time. I think I'm pretty well done here, walk me out?"

It was nearing midnight, but National City was still partying around them, a few cars humming down the street outside. The rain had finally stopped long enough for the sidewalk to actually look only damp instead of shiny wet and they both breathed in the cool night air. Fireworks from the nearby National City Convention Center and the Staples Center erupted into the cloudy sky in celebration of the holiday and a break in the rain. 

"Merry Christmas," Angie said quietly as the colorful flashes washed over them and Kara quietly returned the sentiment. For a moment, their eyes met and the moment was loaded, a promise of something heavy in the air.

A moment that passed with a plink of fat raindrop that nearly nailed Angie right in the eye. They both laughed at her squawk and she rushed for her car nearby.

"Come by tomorrow if you want some company!" Kara called out. "4C!"

"Or not 4C!" Angie called back melodramatically. "That is the question!"

That got more laughter and a wave. "Drive safe!"

For long moments, Kara watched the tail lights fade away into the night before she headed up to her own apartment. Normally the stairs that zigzagged to the fourth floor were barely worth a notice. Tonight, she felt almost Human, slowed to a plodding walk as she finally made it to the top and shuffled off to her door. Jess of all people answered her tentative knock, her smile warm.

"Seems we'll be picking up the festivities in the morning, since nearly everyone stayed."

That earned a tired grin as Kara stepped in and blinked, taken aback at how her space had been invaded. The recliners were set out not far from the door, the pair of couches right up against the kitchen island. They had been set face to face to make a big, rectangular nest where Kara could see the curly, tousled heads of the Grants close together.

"Al raided your warm things for us," Jess explained almost apologetically. "And turned up the heater."

"Put the gas bill on my tab," Alex's voice called out from around the corner of the loft and a storm of shuffles and grumbles rustled about the big space. Jess returned to the recliner normally occupied by Susan and laid it out as flat as it would go to curl up under her colorful Christmas blanket.

"Two more minutes and I'd've sent out a search party," Alex grumbled when Kara padded over quietly to stroke her head comfortingly. "Gram's comfy in Maggie's room and Bug's been told to go to Mom if she feels crowded."

Kara assumed the child was amongst the lumpy pile taking up half of the bed, plush feet, tails and cat heads poking out of the blankets. On Alex's other side, curled tight to her, was Lena, who smiled sleepily.

"Sounds good," Kara said quietly and leaned over to kiss her sister and best friend on their forehead and temple. "Merry Christmas, guys. I love you."

They murmured the precious words back, stroking her hand before she stepped away.

"Hey, if you need a place to crash, your old boss and pal is probably still cold."

Kara caught Alex's whispered words, despite the white-noise hum of a couple of fans and the heating vents going. Perhaps less tired and tipsy and the suggestion wouldn't have wormed its way into her brain, but instead, she found herself digging out her own cape and dragging herself over to the couch-nest.

"Scoot over," Kara ordered when she could see that Cat was indeed, still awake and huddled up beneath her blankets as though cold. "I can keep you warm and I could use the cuddle."

Only later would she marvel that her often prickly and always in control boss merely pressed more tightly into Carter to open up a slot along her body. Half climbing and half levitating, Kara slithered over the back of the couch and settled in beneath the comforting weight of her cape, a last gift from Krypton. With an exhale that was more a sigh, Cat couldn't resist the sunny heat of her, snuggling her smaller frame close.

With the motley gang lulled to comfort and ease by the presence of friends and family, quiet fell over the loft, broken only by their combined breathing, the thrum of the city outside and the steady patter of rain at the windows.


End file.
